In establishing Hoi An International School (HAIS) my goal was not to open a profitable business. I wanted to build a school for my own children, a school where I knew every child living in Hoi An, Danang could have an opportunity for a good education and experience joy every morning when going to school. HAIS aims for open education, balancing between developing academic and life skills, and awakening the creative energy and joy within each child.

The HAIS education program balances international educational strengths with Vietnamese cultural values, creating harmony in global education. In Hoi An, HAIS is a cozy, friendly, open-minded school, especially in the medium size. I want to be able to connect and create an environment where everyone from parents to students can talk and share with each other every time they meet. And HAIS is not only a school but also a home and a community that connects friends all over Vietnam and the world gathered with the same educational vision, sharing of knowledge and spreading love, sustainable and happy development.

At Hoi An International School, our mission is to ‘nurture and meet the individual needs of our students in a supportive, community-minded and responsible environment’. We are an inclusive community that aims to inspire, motivate and challenge while being firmly committed to the academic and personal growth of all students.

Students learn best in a safe and caring environment which caters for individual differences and challenges each student to reach their potential. Small class sizes are imperative to enable teachers to keep on top of the needs of each student and to ensure that academic growth and personal well-being is maintained. Such approaches to learning are essential if each student is to achieve at levels that are commensurate with their abilities and grow into reflective, creative and responsible global citizens.

In addition to learning in the classroom, there is a myriad of opportunities on offer at HAIS, and students are encouraged to participate in these. We promote a balanced lifestyle that allows time for learning but also for participation in sports and Extracurricular Activities and most importantly, time to relax with family and friends.

Research has highlighted that the effective mastery of social and emotional competencies is associated not only with greater well-being, but also a better performance at school. Therefore, supporting the well-being of each of our students is central to who we are, and we work together with families to assist students in achieving their personal best in all that they do. It is the encouragement of adventure and play that builds creativity and imagination, develops social skills, improves physical and social/emotional well-being and builds a child’s sense of confidence and independence.

At HAIS, we also focus on developing, in all our students, an unshakable social conscience with the capacity to make sound ethical decisions. We value the relationships we have developed with our families and the wider community and will continue working to further enhance constructive partnerships with our families and friends, regional charities, local and international schools and local businesses.

I am very proud to be the Principal of Hoi An International School where we genuinely believe that each of our students has a unique gift to share with the world.

I encourage you to make contact to see what we can offer you and your family.

Frances Dobson – Vietnamese Curriculum Principal

HAIS has shown a resilient and persevering attitude during this past year and our hard work has shown great benefits. We had our first IGCSE candidate complete his exams with excellent results and we are preparing our next cohort for their IGCSE exams this year. We have now completed a makeover of our secondary school with a new, state-of-the-art science lab, a spacious, naturally well-lit art studio, and a brand new combined drama studio and music room which can be transformed into a mini theatre. While we have encountered challenging times, HAIS has consistently risen to each challenge and continues to grow and improve.

I hold a strong belief that no child is unteachable, provided the proper structure and support. I am a strong believer in supporting literacy in all our children, from Early Years and Primary all the way through our Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary. I am excited to report that we have a structure and support system at HAIS that ensures a seamless educational transition from one stage of a child’s learning to the next. At HAIS, all sectors are working together to develop each child’s academic potential to its fullest. HAIS has invested in and is developing several programs this year to help us collect and measure data to ensure we understand each child’s strengths, which we can further nurture, and each child’s weaknesses, which we can help them overcome. We embrace a ‘One School, One Team’ approach and we are always working with our teachers to enhance the relevant skills and strategies to help and teach any child from any background. I am excited to be working with a strong team of like-minded educators who will help ensure we are helping our students to achieve their highest capability. We, at HAIS, are focused on two things: Doing things right and doing the right things.We welcome you to HAIS to join us in transforming your child’s world!

This year will mark my 5th year at HAIS and my first year as Bilingual Vice Principal. I have accompanied the school from the very first day and witnessed the rise of this small school located in the heart of Hoi An. My belief in the HAIS mission and values has been strengthened with each passing year.

In my role, I support our Leadership Team to ensure the school runs smoothly. I also serve as a bridge for communication between the International and Bilingual Sectors.

We strive to create learning opportunities for our Bilingual Students to learn about cultural diversity from our International Students. Helping our students become global citizens, is a stepping stone in enabling our students to be successful in their future careers.

We also believe that our International Students are given a great opportunity to better understand Vietnamese culture. With their families living and working within our community and our students connecting through joint learning activities and events, a strong and unified bond is formed under the collective of Hoi An International School.

I strongly believe that the methods in which our Leadership demonstrates the HAIS values contribute to our success and ensure that our students receive the best support from their teachers and mentors.

Huynh Thi Khanh Hien – Head of Administration & Operations

The role of an Early Years teacher is to encourage children to take ownership of their thoughts and ideas so they know their voices are listened to and respected. Teachers are also meant to foster a love and motivation of learning that will continue through a child’s education journey.

An inquiry-based learning environment encourages development and active participation in exploration, investigation and problem solving. Our classroom environments and activities are carefully planned with natural materials to help children connect with nature inside and outside the classroom. We understand that each child is unique and develops and learns in different ways and at different rates, thus we encourage children to learn in ways that suit their abilities and interests. We have respect for each other and learn to build positive relationships with our peers and teachers.

I believe that an Early Years Teacher’s role in the classroom is to not only teach but to bring balance to their students and to help them in all areas of their learning.

Here at HAIS, we consider a curriculum of play-based learning to be the most effective way of educating our young learners. We recognise that every child learns in a different way so we endeavour to incorporate multi-sensory learning to keep our lessons fun and interesting and our students engaged. Recognising that learning does not only occur in the classroom, our teachers in our Early Years Team utilise all areas of the campus to better enhance their lessons and direct their students to new and fascinating learning opportunities. Communication is key and because of this, we offer a variety of tools for communication so our parents never miss any academic achievements or learning milestones.

Finally, it is our shared opinion that a happy child is a healthy child, which is why we create a student-centred learning environment that ensures that all of our students go home each day with a big smile and come back to school the following day ready and excited to start a new day of learning.

The psychological development and well-being of primary school children are difficult for many people to understand. Primary School marks the transition period from childhood to adolescence; it is an important stage in a child’s physical, intellectual and emotional development. During this time, students experience many new social relationships, emotions and newly formed thought patterns. As a Primary School teacher at HAIS, I improve my teaching skills daily and consistently communicate with the students. When they feel comfortable, and they trust their teacher, they more readily express their feelings and thoughts without hesitation to learn more about the world around them.

This is my first year as the Bilingual Primary Learning Lead and I know it will be a challenge. However, I am very proud of our teaching staff in the Bilingual Primary sector, who all have a lot of teaching experience. We are all here at HAIS because we have the same passion for education and we want our students to excel at this happy school.

My theory of learning is centred on engagement and intrinsic motivation. I strongly believe that students respond favourably to choices where they can take ownership over their work and progress. My guiding aim is to create an environment where students feel moved to learn. Cultivating this intrinsic motivation will make for engaged and passionate learners who can succeed academically.

Alongside this, I believe that education should be grounded in the development of skills. This can be achieved through the integration of interactive, collaborative and project-based learning in the classroom, with an aim to develop critical thinking skills in learners. Connecting curriculum to real-world experiences provides students with a context for their learning; it results in transferable skills and knowledge which can be taken outside of the classroom. It is my aim to build a learning environment which keeps up with the development of our global world and equips students with the skills to achieve their academic potential. Above all, my guiding principle as an educator is to create an environment where learners feel safe, confident and empowered to embrace learning with interest and enthusiasm.

Central to any curriculum, and to the all-round development of a child, is the pursuit of the Arts. Thinking and working artistically develops a child’s confidence, technical skills, creativity and independence. It also offers opportunities for self-expression and to work without the fear of being ‘wrong,’ as art is a personal and subjective pursuit.

My aim is to create an inspiring learning environment so students may explore a range of themes, materials, techniques and artists imaginatively, creatively and through encouragement, with increasing confidence and independence.

Encompassed in this area at HAIS are Art, Music and PE. As the Art Teacher and Learning Lead, I am thrilled with the many exciting opportunities the year holds for our students.

World Languages Coordinator – English

Helena Vanderdonck – World Languages Coordinator – French

With students and staff members from over 30 nationalities, Hoi An International School prides itself on cultural diversity.

Our World Languages programme was founded to honour the beauty of languages. We aim to create opportunities for our students to have access to numerous different languages ​​other than their mother tongues.

Currently, our World Languages programme consists of three faculties: English, Vietnamese and French. I feel extremely fortunate to hold the position of World Languages Coordinator for Vietnamese Langauge. Accompanying me is my extremely enthusiastic colleague, Mr Elton Dry who acts as the World Languages Coordinator for English and French Langauges. Together we will lead the World Languages ​​programme this school year.

Our Vietnamese language department currently has two sections: Vietnamese as a Native Language and Vietnamese as an Additional Language. This allows for more tailored learning and contributes to promoting Vietnamese students’ motivation to learn the language, in order to preserve and cultivate their love for their mother tongue. We also want to help our international students learn Vietnamese appropriate to their level, and foster a love for the culture of this S-shaped land.

With a wide range of different levels for different languages and a team of enthusiastic and creative teachers, I strongly believe that the World Languages programme will be a solid springboard to support students in their journey to conquer the beauty of language. From there, they can find new passions and fulfill their own dreams.

I have always been interested in childhood and adolescent development and the psychology behind how we learn. A university internship at an inclusion-based special needs school first inspired me to pursue a career in education.

Living and working abroad for the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to work with a wide range of learners from all over the world.

I recognize that our early learning experiences are so important in shaping us into the adults that we become. I strongly believe that students need more than just academic skills to be successful. I also support the neurodiversity approach to education. This approach focuses on the strengths of neurodivergent learners to create opportunities for educational success. I believe that every student deserves to experience success in school and it is my goal to help facilitate these opportunities.