Diploma Programme (DP)

“Carefully, steadily and impressively, the IB programme has grown to become the most widely respected pre-university curriculum in the world”(International Quarterly)

At HIS, students in grades 11 and 12 undertake the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The IBDP provides a rigorous and balanced education that prepares students for success in higher education and beyond.

HIS is fully authorized to deliver the Diploma Programme, creating a seamless continuum of learning from the Middle Years Programme to the Diploma Programme. The IBDP emphasizes critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and holistic development, encouraging students to explore knowledge across disciplines while making meaningful connections to the real world.

The programme is structured around six subject groups—Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, and the Arts—alongside three core components: Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), and the Extended Essay. These elements foster inquiry, independent learning, and social responsibility.

As the culmination of the IB continuum at HIS, our Diploma Programme builds on the skills, attitudes, and knowledge developed in earlier years, preparing students not only for university success but also for lifelong learning and principled global citizenship.

In the HIS Diploma Programme (DP), we design learning that honours…

ACCESS

In our IB Diploma Programme, we are excited by the diversity of our learners. Each student brings unique perspectives and skills to our programme. To help cater to these needs, we offer a diverse range of course choices to suit as many students as possible. Our small class sizes are key to providing personalized feedback and instruction, ensuring each student's unique needs and perspectives are catered to at every opportunity. As an alternative and complementary pathway to our IB Diploma Programme, we also offer the high school diploma pathway which can offer more flexibility to students.

SAFETY

In their final years of compulsory education, it is of utmost importance that our students are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to become safe, healthy, and happy young adults. Our Social Emotional Learning curriculum, as part of our advisory time, is where Grade 11 and 12 students actively explore topics to help ensure their safety both in school and afterwards as they venture out to college and the world of work. Based on the research-informed 'Second Step' high school curriculum, our students discuss proactive strategies through which they are empowered to take charge of their social and emotional well-being. This foundation ensures that while the rigorous nature of the IB Diploma programme can be challenging, our students are equipped with the resilience and self-management skills to embrace the learning experience head on.

IDENTITY

As a diverse community, our learners possess a wide range of language profiles and competencies. Our Diploma programme caters for this with an impressive four Language A courses (English, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese), all available at Higher and Standard level. For our 2025 Grade 12 cohort, 68% of our students graduated with bilingual diplomas, a statistic that underscores our commitment to mother-tongue development and native-level proficiency in at least two languages. In addition to this offering, we also offer French at B and Ab Initio levels, as well as a wide range of other languages through our partnership with Pamoja—the only education group authorized to offer online IB courses.

CITIZENSHIP

Our IB Diploma students take pride in their contribution to local and global communities. Our active CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) programme means that they are engaging with a wide range of meaningful service opportunities both in Hanoi and further afield. For example, all Grade 11 students contribute to the protection of endangered turtle species in Phong Nha on their annual camp. Through these experiences, our Diploma students continually reflect on their learning and develop a sense of responsibility, sharing their insights with the wider community through our school podcast or assemblies.

CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING

Concepts form the backbone of our IBDP curriculum. Equipped with a strong understanding of conceptual learning from our MYP Programme, our DP students use concepts as tools to investigate more deeply into the content they are covering. Our teachers identify the key concepts of each subject early on, and students become skilled at using these concepts to transfer knowledge across subjects and add depth to their arguments. As a core component, our Theory of Knowledge (TOK) teaching team is skilled at linking epistemological inquiries directly to the students' Diploma courses, collaborating with subject teachers to build TOK links into all course units. This integration enhances students' analytical skills, their subject-specific understanding, and their performance in the Theory of Knowledge assessment.

INQUIRY

Our IB Diploma programme is driven by inquiry. All students are inquiring towards a greater overarching theme in all of their diploma classes. One key area of their student-led learning is the Extended Essay (EE). At HIS, our Diploma students spend one year on this challenging 4,000-word academic inquiry, with expert guidance from their subject teachers as supervisors. We emphasize the development of organisation and rigorous research skills within the EE process, ensuring students are thoroughly prepared for the independent academic study required at university and beyond.

INNOVATION

Our experienced IB Diploma teachers are innovators in education. From a technological standpoint, we employ a wide range of methods to help students succeed. All of our Diploma subjects utilize digital textbooks and platforms like Kognity and InThinking, harnessing the power of digital services to empower students in their learning and develop 21st-century study habits. This is supported by our teachers' commitment to continual learning, regularly attending professional development around the world to stay up-to-date with the latest pedagogical advances, and ensure the best possible learning experience for every student.

In This Section