BIS HCMC and FOBISIA - A Partnership That Opens Doors Across Asia

The FOBISIA Games

When many families think of FOBISIA, the Games are often the first thing that come to mind. They are undoubtedly one of the highlights of the BIS sporting calendar and among the largest regional sporting events our students take part in each year.

Held annually in Thailand, the FOBISIA Games bring together hundreds of students from leading British international schools across Asia to compete in athletics, basketball, football, swimming and teeball. More than simply a sporting competition, the Games have built a long-standing reputation for combining high-quality competition with friendship, teamwork and cultural exchange.

Each year, BIS HCMC proudly sends teams to the Primary, U13 and U15 FOBISIA Games. Once selected, students dedicate months to training before and after school, demonstrating commitment, perseverance and teamwork long before they arrive at the competition.

For our students, the experience extends far beyond winning medals. It is about travelling internationally as part of a team, proudly wearing BIS colours, supporting one another through success and disappointment, and returning home with friendships that span countries across Asia.

FOBISIA Sport

The Games are only one part of BIS HCMC's sporting involvement within FOBISIA.

Throughout the year, students also compete in specialist invitationals and championships across a range of sports. Our swimmers regularly participate in the FOBISIA Swim Invitational in Thailand, while our growing golf programme reached an exciting milestone when students represented BIS HCMC at the FOBISIA Golf Championships in the Philippines for the first time in 2026.

In football, our U18 boys reached the semi-finals of the FOBISIA Football Championships in Malaysia, while two students earned selection for the prestigious FOBISIA Select Team — recognition not only of their individual ability but also of the strength of football at BIS HCMC.

These events give students the opportunity to compete against some of Asia's strongest British international schools while continuing to develop resilience, teamwork and sportsmanship.

FOBISIA Performing Arts

FOBISIA provides equally exciting opportunities for students with a passion for music and the performing arts.

Earlier this academic year, BIS HCMC's young musicians travelled to Bangkok for the FOBISIA Primary Music Festival, joining more than 200 students from 15 schools. Over several days, they rehearsed and performed together under the guidance of expert conductors, developing their musicianship while building confidence, collaboration and friendships with fellow performers from across the region.

For many students, these festivals become defining moments in their artistic journey — performing as part of a much larger ensemble and experiencing the joy of creating music with peers who share the same passion.

FOBISIA Academic Collaborations

FOBISIA also encourages students to challenge themselves academically through a wide range of competitions and collaborative learning experiences.

During the 2025–26 academic year, BIS HCMC students travelled to Shanghai for the FOBISIA Primary Maths Challenge, testing their mathematical thinking alongside students from across Asia. Others took part in the FOBISIA Codebreaking Competition, applying logic, creativity and computational thinking to solve increasingly complex challenges.

In 2023, BIS HCMC was also proud to host the FOBISIA Junior Coding Competition, welcoming students from across the region to our campus to collaborate, innovate and solve real-world problems through technology.

Whether in mathematics, computing or other curriculum areas, these experiences encourage curiosity, collaboration and creative thinking while exposing students to new perspectives beyond their own classroom.

What makes these experiences so valuable is that they extend far beyond the events themselves. They encourage students to step into unfamiliar environments, embrace new challenges and discover strengths they may never have realised they had. Along the way, they develop confidence, resilience and independence, while forming friendships with young people from across Asia. These are the experiences that stay with our students long after they return to BIS HCMC.

More than student events: the value of FOBISIA for staff

While student events are often the most visible part of FOBISIA, they are only one side of the story. Behind every competition, festival and conference is an equally strong commitment to professional collaboration, ensuring that teachers, school leaders and professional services staff continue to learn, innovate and share best practice for the benefit of every student.

Each year, FOBISIA delivers more than 70 conferences, workshops and professional development events, bringing together educators and specialists from member schools across Asia. These range from curriculum-specific training and safeguarding conferences to leadership programmes, fellowship opportunities and specialist networks. Annual flagship events, including the Academic Leadership Conference and the Business Leaders Conference, provide dedicated professional learning for senior leaders, alongside colleagues working across admissions, marketing and communications, finance, operations, human resources and school operational management.

For BIS HCMC, this access to high-quality continuing professional development is one of the greatest benefits of FOBISIA membership. It enables our teachers and professional services teams to learn from leading practitioners, explore emerging research, exchange ideas and collaborate with colleagues from some of Asia's most respected British international schools.

Importantly, BIS HCMC is not only a participant in these conversations – it is an active contributor. Our staff regularly present at FOBISIA conferences, lead workshops, serve on professional committees and executive groups, and are selected for prestigious initiatives such as the FOBISIA Fellowship Programme. Through these roles, they help shape professional dialogue across the federation while bringing new ideas, innovation and best practice back to our own school community.

The impact of that professional learning is felt every day by BIS HCMC students. New approaches to teaching and learning, developments in pastoral care, advances in technology and improvements in school operations all stem from a culture of continuous learning and collaboration. By engaging with colleagues from across the region, our staff help ensure that BIS HCMC continues to evolve, innovate and deliver an education informed by the very best of British international practice.

This spirit of collaboration extends well beyond professional learning. As one of FOBISIA's longest-standing member schools, BIS HCMC has become an active contributor to the federation itself, helping to shape its direction through leadership, hosting major regional events and sharing expertise with schools across Asia.

Leading and contributing across the FOBISIA network

BIS HCMC's relationship with FOBISIA extends far beyond participation. Since becoming a member in 2003, the school has played an increasingly significant role in supporting and shaping the federation, reflecting both our commitment to educational excellence and our willingness to share expertise with schools across the region.

That leadership has been demonstrated in many ways. Former Principal Anthony Rowlands served as Chair of the FOBISIA Board from 2019 to 2024 – the longest-serving Chair in the federation's history – guiding a period of significant growth and development across the network.

BIS HCMC has also regularly welcomed educators, school leaders and students from across Asia by hosting major FOBISIA conferences, competitions and business meetings. In recent years, these have included the FOBISIA Music Teachers' Conference, the Bridging the Gap Conference, the Junior Coding Competition and the FOBISIA Business Meeting for all Principals and Heads of School. The school also has a proud history of hosting the inaugural FOBISIA Bursars' and Business Managers' Conference in 2009, reflecting its long-standing contribution to the federation.

Hosting these events not only showcases BIS HCMC's outstanding facilities and expertise, but also creates opportunities for our own students and staff to engage with the wider FOBISIA community on our doorstep. Whether through leadership, professional collaboration or hosting regional events, BIS HCMC continues to play an active role in strengthening one of Asia's leading British international school networks.

The Lasting Value of FOBISIA

For BIS HCMC, FOBISIA is far more than membership of a professional association. It is a long-standing partnership that enriches every part of school life — creating exceptional experiences for students, supporting the continuous development of our staff and enabling the school to contribute to the future of British international education across Asia.

Most importantly, everything that BIS HCMC contributes to FOBISIA ultimately comes back to our students. The knowledge our staff gain, the partnerships we build and the leadership we provide all strengthen the educational experience we offer every day. Whether students are competing in Thailand, performing in Malaysia, solving mathematical challenges in Shanghai or welcoming visitors to events hosted here in Ho Chi Minh City, they benefit from being part of a school that is not only connected to one of Asia's most respected educational networks, but one that is also helping to shape its future.

That is the lasting value of FOBISIA at BIS HCMC. It is not simply the events our students attend or the conferences our staff participate in, but the culture of collaboration, ambition and continuous learning that it fosters. It is this shared commitment to excellence that continues to create meaningful opportunities for our students, inspire our staff and strengthen our school community.