Living Near ISHCMC: Best Buildings and Commute Times

In short: ISHCMC has two campuses: Primary at 28 Vo Truong Toan in An Phu and Secondary at 01 Xuan Thuy in Thao Dien, about 2.5–3 km apart by road. For a Primary child, Lumiere Riverside, Gateway Thao Dien, Masteri An Phu and Nassim are a 5–10 minute walk from the gate. Masteri Thao Dien is the value pick, with 2-bedrooms at a median $850 a month on Visreal’s listings.

Parents choosing a home near ISHCMC usually need three answers: which campus, how long the school run takes, and what a 2BR or 3BR really costs nearby. This guide answers all three with map distances and our own listing data.

Where ISHCMC’s two campuses are

International School Ho Chi Minh City was established in 1993 and describes itself as the first IB World School in the city. It teaches all three IB programmes (PYP, MYP and DP) and has been part of the Cognita group since 2011.

The school is split by age:

Campus	Address	Grades	Programme
Primary	28 Vo Truong Toan St., An Phu	Early Explorers to Grade 5	IB PYP
Secondary	01 Xuan Thuy St., Thao Dien	Grade 6 to Grade 12	IB MYP and DP

Both addresses sit in the former District 2. The school’s own contact page now lists them under An Khanh ward, so you may see either name on maps and leases.

Do not confuse ISHCMC with ISHCMC-American Academy. That is a separate Cognita school at 16 Vo Truong Toan, a few doors from the Primary campus, teaching an American curriculum for Grades 6 to 12.

The Primary campus is about 650 m from An Phu station on Metro Line 1, which opened in December 2024. The Secondary campus is deeper inside the low-rise lanes of Thao Dien.

Commute times from each building

We measured road and walking distances from each building to both campus gates using OpenStreetMap routing, then added realistic traffic. Treat every time below as an estimate. School-run traffic on Hanoi Highway and Thao Dien’s narrow lanes can easily double a drive.

A few patterns stand out:

1) Lumiere Riverside, Gateway Thao Dien, Masteri An Phu and Nassim are all about 350–450 m from the Primary gate. That is a 5–10 minute walk with a small child.

2) Masteri Thao Dien is about 850 m from the Primary campus. Walking takes 10–15 minutes; a car is about 5 minutes off-peak.

3) Thao Dien Pearl, at 12 Quoc Huong, is the closest of our listed buildings to the Secondary campus, about 700 m by road.

4) Families with one child on each campus often live near the Primary gate. ISHCMC runs a complimentary shuttle for Secondary students so parents can use one drop-off point, according to the school’s transport page.

ISHCMC also runs a school bus for students aged 4 and above on both campuses. Ask Admissions about current routes before you rule out a building that is further away.

Best buildings near ISHCMC: rents and distances

The table below lists six buildings close to either campus. Rents are medians from Visreal’s own listings, with the typical range (25th to 75th percentile) in brackets.

Building	To Primary campus	To Secondary campus	2BR median (typical)	3BR median (typical)	Rental market
Lumiere Riverside	~0.4 km, 5–10 min walk	~2.7 km, 5–10 min drive off-peak	$1,250 ($1,150 – $1,370)	$1,900 ($1,700 – $2,000)	171 listings
Gateway Thao Dien	~0.4 km, 5–10 min walk	~2.8 km, 5–10 min drive off-peak	$1,445 ($1,319 – $1,556)	$2,800 ($2,300 – $3,200)	148 listings
Masteri An Phu	~0.35 km, 5–10 min walk	~2.9 km, 5–10 min drive off-peak	$800 ($720 – $878)	$1,250 ($1,200 – $1,750)	73 listings
Nassim Thao Dien	~0.4 km, 5–10 min walk	~2.5 km, 5–10 min drive off-peak	$1,448 ($1,350 – $1,499)	$2,550 ($2,400 – $2,895)	77 listings
Masteri Thao Dien	~0.85 km, 10–15 min walk	~1.8 km, about 5 min drive off-peak	$850 ($786 – $919)	$1,208 ($1,149 – $1,413)	374 listings
Thao Dien Pearl	~2.2 km, 5–10 min drive off-peak	~0.7 km, about 10 min walk	$950 ($888 – $1,025)	$1,520 ($1,500 – $1,616)	14 listings

At school-run times, allow 15–25 minutes for any 2–3 km drive in this part of the city. Distances are road distances from the building to the campus gate, rounded.

Across the 374 Masteri Thao Dien listings Visreal has published, a 2-bedroom typically asks $786 – $919 a month. That is the lowest 2BR median of the six, and the building sits on Hanoi Highway beside An Phu station and Vincom Mega Mall.

Gateway Thao Dien and Nassim cost more, but units are larger: the typical Gateway 3BR is 122 m² and the typical Nassim 3BR is 135 m². Masteri An Phu is the budget option right next to the Primary gate, though only six 3BR units have come through our listings, so its 3BR range is thin.

2BR or 3BR near ISHCMC?

For a couple with one child, a 2BR usually works. With two children, a live-in helper or grandparents who visit, a 3BR is usually the better fit.

The jump is not the same in every building. Here is what the wider areas look like on our listings:

Area	2BR median (typical)	2BR size	3BR median (typical)	3BR size
Thao Dien (690 listings)	$1,100 ($885 – $1,380)	74 m²	$1,990 ($1,458 – $2,600)	103 m²
An Phu (121 listings)	$1,255 ($1,135 – $1,370)	74 m²	$2,180 ($1,900 – $2,680)	130 m²

In Masteri Thao Dien, moving from a 2BR to a 3BR adds about $358 at the median and 21 m². In Gateway Thao Dien, the same step adds about $1,355 and 32 m². If space matters more than the brand, note that a 3BR at Masteri Thao Dien (median $1,208) costs less than a 2BR at Gateway Thao Dien (median $1,445).

Villas and walled compounds in Thao Dien are another option some ISHCMC families look at. They are outside what Visreal rents, so we focus on apartment buildings.

Signing a lease around the school year

ISHCMC’s provisional 2026–27 calendar has orientation for new families on 10 August 2026, the first day of school on 11 August, and the last day on 18 June 2027. Your lease should fit that rhythm, not the other way round.

Check	Why it matters for ISHCMC families
Start date	Aim to move in a week or two before orientation, so the school run is tested before day one.
12-month term	Standard in this market. Ending in July or August lets you renew or move over the summer break.
Diplomatic clause	Lets you end early with 30–60 days’ notice and get the deposit back if your employer moves you.
Upfront cost	Expect 2 months’ deposit plus 1 month’s rent on handover.
Company invoices	If your employer pays rent, confirm the landlord can issue a VAT red invoice before you sign.
Negotiation	A 5–10% discount is often possible on 12 months or longer.

Many relocating families search in the months before an August start, so begin viewings early if your dates allow.

From Visreal’s experience

The first step of our four-step process is your brief: budget, move-in date and, for ISHCMC families, which campus and grade each child will start in. That last detail changes the shortlist more than anything else.

In step two, shortlist and viewings, our agents always give the same advice: do the school run once before you sign. Leave the building at the time your child would actually leave, walk or drive to the gate, and time it. A 400 m walk along a busy road with a 6-year-old feels very different from the map.

We also check where the building’s exit gate is. In large compounds, the walk from your tower to the street can add five minutes each way.

Brendontutu Tu wrote on Google: “The whole process was smooth, professional, and stress-free from start to finish. Everything was clearly explained and handled efficiently.” Visreal is rated 4.9/5 from 34 Google reviews.

After you move in, we stay on for repairs, renewals and questions, and we help with temporary residence registration at no charge.

FAQ

Where is ISHCMC located?

ISHCMC has two campuses in the former District 2: the Primary campus at 28 Vo Truong Toan in An Phu, and the Secondary campus at 01 Xuan Thuy in Thao Dien.

Which apartments are closest to ISHCMC?

For the Primary campus, Lumiere Riverside, Gateway Thao Dien, Masteri An Phu and Nassim are about 350–450 m from the gate. For the Secondary campus, Thao Dien Pearl is about 700 m away by road.

How much is a 3-bedroom apartment near ISHCMC?

On Visreal’s listings, 3BR medians run from about $1,208 at Masteri Thao Dien to $2,800 at Gateway Thao Dien. Across Thao Dien as a whole, the 3BR median is $1,990.

Is ISHCMC the same school as ISHCMC-American Academy?

No. Both belong to Cognita, but ISHCMC-American Academy is a separate school at 16 Vo Truong Toan with an American curriculum for Grades 6 to 12.

Does ISHCMC have a school bus?

Yes. The school runs a bus service for students aged 4 and above on both campuses, plus a free shuttle for Secondary students between campuses.

Find your apartment near ISHCMC

Visreal is free for tenants. Send your budget, move-in date and your children’s campus on Zalo or WhatsApp at +84 903 004 226, or browse our Thao Dien apartments.