Ho Chi Minh City dissolves American International School after months of financial turmoil

By Le Nguyen January 12, 2026 | 03:02 pm PT

The gate of the American International School in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Le Nguyen

The American International School Vietnam (AISVN) has been officially dissolved by authorities in Ho Chi Minh City after months of financial controversy involving over US$100 million raised from parents and the arrest of the school’s chairwoman.

The decision was announced on Jan. 12 by the city’s People’s Committee, which ordered the school and its investor, American International School Education JSC, to settle all outstanding issues related to personnel, finances, assets, land use and other legal obligations.

Authorities said the school must fully repay its debts, including overdue social and health insurance contributions, taxes and unused tuition fees collected from students. Teachers and staff are required to receive all unpaid salaries, allowances and insurance benefits under their contracts.

The city’s Department of Education and Training has been tasked with coordinating support for students to transfer to other schools, ensuring their education is not disrupted.

AISVN had already been suspended for 12 months starting July 1, 2024, after failing to meet legal requirements on teaching conditions, financial capacity and staffing. When the suspension period ended and problems remained unresolved, education authorities proposed dissolving the school.

As of August 2025, the school and its operating company still owed more than VND31 billion ($1.18 million) in unpaid social, health and unemployment insurance contributions.

Three months earlier, Nguyen Thi Ut Em, 62, chairwoman of the school council, was arrested on charges of disturbing public order. The Ho Chi Minh City Inspectorate also transferred case files to police to investigate signs of illegal capital mobilization, after the school signed loan and education investment contracts with parents.

Founded in 2006 and based in Hiep Phuoc Commune, American International School Vietnam once enrolled about 1,200 students, most studying the International Baccalaureate program, with annual tuition ranging from VND280 million to VND725 million. The school employed more than 250 teachers and staff, including 129 foreign teachers.

In late 2023, the school drew national attention when large groups of parents gathered to demand refunds. More than 900 parents had paid into interest-free financial packages totaling around VND3.6 trillion ($137 million), with promises of repayment after their children graduated.

After AISVN stopped operating, about 700 students transferred to public, private or international schools, or went abroad to study, according to official figures through August 2024.