- AISVN’s financial instability led to a 12-month suspension of its educational activities starting June 2024.
- The school failed to resolve debts exceeding VND31 billion and did not meet conditions to resume operations by mid-2025.
- Teacher exodus and unpaid salaries forced class suspensions, impacting around 1,000 students who had to transfer schools.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training provided a detailed update on the ongoing crisis surrounding the American International School Vietnam (AISVN), revealing severe financial instability that has led to the suspension of the school’s educational activities.
Since September 2023, the department had flagged AISVN’s unstable financial condition, which had drastically impacted teaching and learning activities. Responding to the crisis, the department recommended that the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee form an inter-agency task force to evaluate the school’s situation and provide necessary support.
Throughout early 2024, the department held multiple direct meetings with AISVN’s school board chairman and principal to explore possible solutions. However, after thorough review, officials concluded that the school was no longer financially viable to continue its educational operations.
Despite cooperation with relevant agencies to assist students in completing the 2023–24 academic year, the department officially suspended AISVN’s educational activities for 12 months, effective June 28, 2024.
In June 2025, the department reconvened with representatives from American International Education JSC, the company owning AISVN, and school officials to assess efforts to resolve the causes of the suspension. The department requested a detailed report with evidence demonstrating that the issues had been effectively addressed.
On June 18, 2025, Ho Quang Trung, representing the school and its owner, submitted a report requesting a 12-month extension of the suspension period from June 30, 2025 to June 30, 2026 claiming that the problems had been resolved. However, the department found the report insufficient, noting the failure to prove that the root causes of the suspension had been fixed.
Further concerns arose as neither the investor nor AISVN submitted the mandatory mid-2025 labor usage report, and the company’s headquarters at 220 Nguyen Van Tao Street, Hiep Phuoc Commune, Ho Chi Minh City, were reported closed.
Financial liabilities also weighed heavily on the school’s future. As of May 31, 2025, AISVN and its owner owed over VND31 billion (approximately US$1.2 million) in social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance contributions. The company had also failed to fulfill tax obligations for March and April 2025.
The department concluded that by the end of June 2025, the investor had neither presented an effective financial plan to settle outstanding debts nor demonstrated sufficient financial capacity to resume school operations. Consequently, AISVN remains unable to meet the conditions required for reopening.
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The crisis’s impact on students and staff has been profound. On March 18, 2024, AISVN suspended classes as nearly all teachers stopped reporting to work due to unpaid salaries, leaving around 1,000 students scrambling to transfer to other schools to avoid disruptions to their education. The number of teachers plummeted from 400 to just 28 by August 2024, and the school was left without a principal.
Adding to the turmoil, over half of AISVN parents had previously invested in 'education investment packages', lending the school between VND3 billion to 5 billion (US$114,000 to 190,000) interest-free, with promised reimbursement after their children’s graduation.
Established in 2006, AISVN served students from preschool age up to grade 12. The school’s current predicament leaves an uncertain future for its community as financial mismanagement and operational failures continue to hamper its recovery prospects.
