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The new campus, which marks the institution’s second regional site following its initial expansion into Bangkok in 2020, is slated to open in August 2027, serving students from kindergarten through high school – ages 2 to 18.

Representatives confirmed at a launch event on Saturday that King’s College Wimbledon Ho Chi Minh City will be governed and quality-assured directly by KCS Wimbledon to ensure an authentic King’s education, covering everything from curriculum design to teacher recruitment.

Anne Cotton, head of KCS Wimbledon, said staff in Vietnam will be trained to meet U.K. quality standards through teacher exchange programs, mirroring the model already implemented at the Bangkok campus.

Founded by Royal Charter in 1829 as the junior department of King’s College London, KCS Wimbledon was ranked No. 5 globally in the HSBC Hurun Education Global Highschools 2025 report.

Along with other U.K. top schools like Westminster, St Paul’s, it places places a high percentage of students at world’s top universities including Oxford, Cambridge and the Ivy League institutions.

Nguyen Van Hieu, director of HCMC Department of Education, said: “The official presence of King’s College Wimbledon, one of the most prestigious schools with a rich heritage in the U.K. and globally, in HCMC, does more than just offer a high-quality choice for local parents and students. It demonstrates the trust, long-term commitment, and serious investment of international partners in the development of education in Vietnam in general, and HCMC in particular.”

He said the city has always priotized international cooperation in order to enhance the quality of its human resources to meet the requirements of sustainable development and extensive international integration.

On its website, the school says its Sixth Form students can choose between the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and A Levels, both aimed at preparing them for leading universities, while younger students study IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and GCSE courses.

Kieran McLaughlin, founding head of King’s College Wimbledon Ho Chi Minh City, said students at the HCMC school would follow the IGCSE and A-Level pathways.

“In terms of the size of the school, we expect to have 1,500 pupils. In the first year of operation, we are opening probably two classes every year from kindergarten,” he said.

The school fees have not been revealed, but McLaughlin said they will be pitched “at the premium end.”

King’s College Wimbledon HCMC campus spans nearly two hectares. The facilities include a 7-a-side football field, indoor sports halls, a 25-meter indoor swimming pool, and a learner pool for kindergarten students.

The site also houses science laboratories, a 500-seat theater, various outdoor learning spaces, and specialist facilities for the performing and creative arts.

Also at the launch, William Lawrenson, British Deputy Consul General in HCMC, highlighted the strengthening partnership between the U.K. and Vietnam in education.

He noted that during the official visit to the U.K. by Party General Secretary To Lam last October, a letter of intent was signed by education ministers from both nations to reaffirm their commitment to educational cooperation.

A 2024 report by school database ISC Research listed Vietnam among the top five countries in terms of the number of newly opened international schools, with a 42% increase in five years.

The country now hosts around 120 international high schools, which charge between VND500 million (US$19,000) and more than VND900 million a year.