Cost of Studying in Vietnam: Tuition Fees and Living Expenses

Public university tuition

Standard-track bachelor's programs at Vietnam's public universities typically run 15 to 30 million VND a year, roughly USD 600 to 1,200, for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years. At the National Economics University in Hanoi, for example, standard-track tuition for 2025-2026 is projected at 18 to 25 million VND a year, according to reporting on tuition increases across Vietnamese universities from Vietnam.vn . Many public universities raised tuition by 10 to 20 percent going into the 2024-2025 school year as state subsidies tightened, so a range rather than a single fixed number is the realistic way to budget.

High-quality and international-track programs

Public universities also run high-quality (chất lượng cao), advanced, or international joint-degree tracks alongside their standard programs, taught partly or fully in English and priced well above the standard rate. These tracks commonly run 30 to 60 million VND a year, and the most expensive public-university tracks are approaching USD 4,000 a year, according to Vietnamnet . Expect a specific program's fee to sit anywhere in this range depending on the university, field and language of instruction.

Private and foreign-invested universities

Private Vietnamese universities set their own tuition without state subsidy, and tuition at some private schools in Hanoi has reached USD 14,000 a year for their most expensive programs, according to VnExpress . At the top end of the market, foreign-invested and international-standard universities such as joint-venture and branch-campus institutions can charge up to USD 39,000 a year for their most expensive programs, according to Vietnamnet . These international-standard programs sit closer to tuition in Singapore or Australia than to typical Vietnamese public tuition.

Tuition comparison table

Mandatory extra fees, including insurance, orientation and sometimes English proficiency top-up courses, add a smaller amount on top of tuition at most universities. Check the specific fee schedule on your target university's admission page, since these vary by school and are not always folded into the headline tuition figure.

Monthly living costs

A typical student living budget in Vietnam runs about 7.5 to 10 million VND a month, or roughly 90 to 120 million VND a year, covering rent, food and daily expenses. In central Hanoi, a private one-bedroom apartment alone can run 10 to 14 million VND a month, with Ho Chi Minh City slightly higher at 12 to 17 million VND. Students who share an apartment or live in a university dormitory pay far less than these private-rental figures, since shared rooms split the rent and dormitory fees are heavily subsidized at public universities.

Smaller student cities such as Da Nang, Hue or Can Tho run noticeably cheaper than Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City on rent, while food and transport costs stay closer together nationwide. Budget toward the higher end of these ranges if you plan to live alone or close to a city center, and toward the lower end if you share housing and cook most of your own meals.

Costs beyond tuition and rent

Health insurance is compulsory for students at most Vietnamese universities and adds a modest annual fee on top of tuition, usually billed alongside your enrollment paperwork. Textbooks, lab materials and department-specific supplies add a further cost each semester, higher in technical fields such as engineering, architecture and medicine than in social sciences or business.

Local transport is cheap by regional standards. Many students get around by motorbike, bus, or increasingly ride-hailing apps, and a monthly transport budget of a few hundred thousand VND covers most students who do not own a private vehicle. Phone and internet plans add a small monthly cost on top, generally a minor share of the total budget compared to rent and food.

Planning around currency and inflation

Treat every VND figure in this guide as a planning range rather than a fixed number, since tuition rises most years and rent shifts with the local property market in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in particular. Check your specific university's current fee schedule and a recent cost-of-living estimate for your target city before finalizing a budget, rather than relying on last year's numbers, especially if you are converting from Thai baht, Philippine pesos, Indonesian rupiah or another ASEAN currency where the exchange rate itself adds variation year to year.

Ways to lower your total cost

• Apply for a university dormitory place early. Demand for subsidized dorm beds outpaces supply at most large public universities, and a place there costs far less than any private rental option.

• Choose a standard-track program over a high-quality or international track if language of instruction is not a priority, since the standard track can cost half as much or less.

• Split rent with 2 or 3 roommates outside the university dorm system if you want more independence than a dorm offers but still want to avoid the full cost of a private 1-bedroom apartment.

• Compare tuition and living costs together, not tuition alone, since a cheaper tuition city can still cost more overall if rent runs high there.