United Nations International School of Hanoi

A School Born from a UN Mission

United Nations International School of Hanoi (UNIS Hanoi) was established in 1988 as a direct product of collaboration between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Vietnamese government. The founding purpose was deliberately altruistic: to support Vietnam's development by providing an international-standard education in the country's capital. The school opened with a remarkable symbolic modesty — just four students enrolled in its first year.

Asia's First Full IB World School

The most significant milestone in the school's history came in 1997, when UNIS Hanoi became the first school in Asia to be authorised to offer all three International Baccalaureate programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), and the Diploma Programme (DP). This achievement positioned UNIS Hanoi not merely as a local institution serving the expatriate community, but as a genuine pioneer in international education across the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Growth and Continuity

Over the following three decades, the school grew steadily. From its tiny cohort of four, enrolment climbed to over 1,000 students by 2016 and reached approximately 1,100 by 2024. Throughout this growth, the school maintained its not-for-profit governance structure, overseen by a Board of Directors — a structural choice that reinforces its founding commitment to mission over revenue.

Enduring Social Commitment

One of the most distinctive aspects of UNIS Hanoi's history is its scholarship programme for Vietnamese students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Originally rooted in the school's founding mission to support Vietnam's development, this programme has continued for over two decades. It provides full tuition coverage plus living and transportation support to academically excellent Vietnamese students in secondary education — a tangible expression of institutional philanthropy that distinguishes UNIS Hanoi from purely commercial international schools.

A Campus Built for the 21st Century

The school's current home is a 92,000 sqm campus in the Ciputra residential development in Tay Ho district, west Hanoi. This spacious site accommodates state-of-the-art classrooms, maker spaces equipped with 3D printers and robotics tools, an indoor heated 25m six-lane swimming pool, a 1,800 sqm multi-purpose sports hall, a 400-seat performing arts centre with a film production studio, and what is frequently described as one of Hanoi's finest school libraries. The campus serves students from Early Years 3 (age 3) through Grade 12 (age 18), making it a true all-through institution.

Today

With 37 years of continuous operation, UNIS Hanoi remains one of Vietnam's most prestigious and most expensive international schools, drawing students from over 60 nationalities. Its combination of historical depth, UN-rooted values, IB academic rigour, and ongoing social commitment creates a unique institutional identity that few international schools in Southeast Asia can match.

A Campus Designed for Holistic Development

UNIS Hanoi occupies a 92,000 square metre campus in the Ciputra urban development in Tay Ho district, West Hanoi — one of the city's most affluent and well-planned residential areas. The scale and quality of the campus is exceptional by any international standard, and is frequently cited as one of the school's defining attractions.

Sports Facilities

Athletic provision at UNIS Hanoi is notably comprehensive:

• An indoor heated 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool, usable year-round, supports both recreational swimming and competitive swim teams
• A 1,800 sqm multi-purpose sports hall with markings for 12 basketball courts and other indoor sports
• Outdoor playing fields, courts, and running areas support athletics, soccer, tennis, and track and field
• The school participates in the APAC Sports Conference, placing its teams in regional competition against other leading international schools across Asia-Pacific

Arts and Performance

The performing arts centre includes a 400-seat auditorium that hosts school concerts, drama productions, and community events. A dedicated film production studio supports student filmmaking as both a co-curricular activity and an IB subject. Music rehearsal rooms, dance studios, and visual arts studios complete a comprehensive arts offering.

Technology and Innovation

The Maker Space is equipped with 3D printers, robotics kits, and fabrication tools, reflecting the school's commitment to hands-on STEM learning. Computer labs and technology-integrated classrooms support the full IB curriculum including Computer Science and Design Technology.

Academic and Common Spaces

The school's library is frequently described as one of the finest in Hanoi's international school sector. A cafeteria provides daily lunch service. Dedicated spaces for student support services, counselling, and health/nursing ensure that pastoral and wellbeing needs are met alongside academic ones.

Co-Curricular Life: 70+ Activities

The school offers over 70 clubs, teams, and activities spanning sports, arts, academic pursuits, and service. Highlights include Concert Band, String Orchestra, High School Musical and Drama productions, Model United Nations, Global Issues Network, student newspapers, coding, robotics, and a remarkable range of sports from badminton and golf to cross-country running. This breadth ensures that every student can find meaningful engagement beyond the classroom.

Location and Access

The campus is located within the gated Ciputra development, making it most accessible by private car or school bus. The school operates a bus service covering routes in the Ciputra area and beyond, at a cost of USD 1,100 per year (or USD 600 per semester) for full two-way service. Noi Bai International Airport is approximately 30 minutes away by car, making the school accessible from international arrivals.

Rooted in the United Nations

Unlike most international schools that adopt IB programmes as a curriculum framework alone, UNIS Hanoi infuses the United Nations' founding ideals into every dimension of school life. The school's official mission states: "Guided by the values of the United Nations, we inspire all learners to strive for academic and personal excellence and empower students to create positive, sustainable impact." This is not merely rhetorical — the school's governance, scholarship programme, and global citizenship curriculum all reflect the UN's commitment to equity, sustainability, and international cooperation.

Six Core Values

The school's ethos is crystallised in six core values: Curiosity, Community, Integrity, Courage, Diversity, and Responsibility. These values are woven into classroom practice, co-curricular programmes, and student leadership structures. The Head of School frames the vision as creating "a learning environment that inspires each and every one of us" through these six principles.

Inquiry-Based Learning Across All Three IB Programmes

Academically, UNIS Hanoi delivers the full IB continuum — PYP (Early Years to Grade 5), MYP (Grades 6–10), and DP (Grades 11–12). Each programme is implemented with a consistent inquiry-based philosophy: students are positioned as active constructors of knowledge rather than passive recipients. In the PYP, this manifests through transdisciplinary Units of Inquiry. In the MYP, students engage with global contexts and personal projects. In the DP, the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course and Extended Essay further develop critical and reflective thinking.

Global Citizenship and the SDGs

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are explicitly integrated into the curriculum. Students engage with real-world global issues through service-learning, the Global Issues Network (GIN) club, and Model United Nations (UNIS MUN). This gives the philosophy a practical, action-oriented dimension — students are not just taught about global problems but are expected to respond to them.

21st-Century Skills and Well-being

The school's student support framework complements the academic philosophy. A multi-disciplinary team of counsellors, educational psychologists, learning support specialists, and speech-language therapists ensures that the whole child is supported. The school's Child Safeguarding Policy and EAL support (using WIDA assessments) reflect a commitment to inclusive, responsive education.

Language as a Gateway to International-Mindedness

Language learning is treated as central to the philosophy of international-mindedness. Beyond English as the primary medium of instruction, students can study Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish as additional languages. The high rate of bilingual IB diplomas (25% of the 2024 graduating class earned bilingual diplomas) demonstrates that this commitment to multilingualism produces measurable academic outcomes.

2024 IB Diploma Results

UNIS Hanoi's Class of 2024 produced strong IB Diploma Programme results. Fifty-four candidates sat the May 2024 examinations, and all 54 graduated — a 100% pass rate for the cohort. The class average of 32.13 points comfortably exceeded the global IB average of 30.32 for the same session. Nine students (approximately 14% of the cohort) achieved scores of 40 or above out of a maximum of 45, placing them in the highest global percentile. A notable 25% of graduates earned the Bilingual IB Diploma, reflecting the school's sustained investment in multilingual education.

University Destinations — A Truly Global Spread

UNIS Hanoi graduates consistently gain admission to highly competitive universities across the United States, United Kingdom, continental Europe, Asia, and Australia. Confirmed destinations for recent cohorts include:

• United States: Harvard, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania (Ivy League); NYU, UCLA
• United Kingdom: Durham University, London School of Economics (LSE), Imperial College London
• Asia: National University of Singapore (NUS), University of Hong Kong (HKU), KAIST
• Australia: University of Melbourne
• Europe: Sciences Po (Paris)
• Canada: University of Toronto

The school's own website describes itself as "a leading school" whose graduates gain entry to top institutions across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Subjects Offered in the DP

The breadth of the DP subject offering at UNIS Hanoi is extensive:

• Languages: English A (Language & Literature), English B, French B, German B, Spanish B, Vietnamese B, and multiple mother-tongue literature courses
• Individuals & Societies: Economics, History, Global Politics, Psychology, Business Management
• Sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS), Computer Science, Design Technology
• Mathematics: Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (SL and HL), Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation (SL and HL)
• Arts: Visual Arts, Music, Theatre, Film

This comprehensive offering allows students to pursue highly specialised pathways suited to their intended university programmes.

A Culture of Achievement

The school's academic culture is underpinned by robust student support: university counsellors guide students through competitive application processes, and the school's 37-year track record of IB delivery provides institutional expertise that newer international schools cannot replicate. The consistently above-average IB scores and the diversity of elite university destinations reflect a school community where academic ambition is both nurtured and normalised.

The Scholarship Programme: Institutional Philanthropy in Action

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of UNIS Hanoi's community identity is its long-running scholarship programme for Vietnamese students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The programme guarantees a full tuition scholarship for academically excellent Vietnamese secondary students, and goes further by covering living expenses and transportation costs — meaning that a student's financial circumstances do not stand as a barrier to participation in the school community.

The scholarship is rooted in the school's founding mission: established in 1988 to support Vietnam's development, UNIS Hanoi has never abandoned this original social contract. Over more than two decades, scholarship recipients have become "full members of our student body," benefiting from and contributing to the school's multicultural environment.

Eligibility requires Vietnamese nationality, demonstrated academic excellence over the last two full academic years, and submission of a Household Registration Book. The application deadline is March 1 of each year.

Sibling and Family Discounts

For families with multiple children enrolled simultaneously, UNIS Hanoi offers structured sibling discounts: the third child enrolled receives a 10% tuition reduction, and the fourth child and beyond receive a 15% reduction. These discounts are applied to the youngest child or children in the family.

Co-Curricular Service and Global Citizenship

Community engagement extends beyond the scholarship programme into the co-curricular life of the school. The Global Issues Network (GIN) club connects students to real-world humanitarian and environmental challenges, with participation in regional GIN Conferences. UNIS Model United Nations (UNIS MUN) provides a platform for students to debate global policy, directly reflecting the school's UN heritage. These activities are not peripheral: they are central to the school's identity as an institution that prepares students to be active, responsible global citizens.

A Diverse, Multinational Community

With students from over 60 nationalities — approximately 15% of whom are Vietnamese — UNIS Hanoi is genuinely multicultural rather than serving a single national expatriate community. This diversity is both a feature and a value: the school's core commitment to Diversity and Community (two of its six core values) is lived daily in its classrooms and corridors.

Parent and Family Engagement

The school holds parent-teacher meetings two to three times per year and provides a range of communication channels to keep families engaged. The non-profit governance structure, with a Board of Directors overseeing the Head of School, ensures that the school's priorities remain educational and community-focused rather than commercially driven.