Over VND 6.58 billion or US$253,840 in tuition was collected before the sudden closure of Australia International English School (AIES), in Ho Chi Minh City, VN Express has reported. More than 200 parents across Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai were affected.
Key details in the article include:
- Parents paid up to three years of tuition in advance, with discounts from 15 to 45 percent.
- The school announced a temporary closure on May 8 for repairs but never reopened.
- Attempts to contact AIES management have failed, with staff accounts locked and the website offline.
- AIES was operated by Duy Khang Training – Education Company, founded in 2007.
- Parents have filed complaints with local police and education authorities.
This is one in a string of similar incidents in recent years. APAX English and American International School, for example, both closed down after they ran out of money, not before taking large, upfront, lump-sum payments from parents. That is to say, this is a recurring theme in private education in Vietnam, however, to date there has not been much said about how it might be tackled.
See also: Vietnam’s Education Industry 2025: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities