HOT: An English center in Ho Chi Minh City collected billions then suddenly closed

Since May 15, many parents whose children are studying at the Australian English Center in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong have been worried about the news that the center has stopped operating and fled with the money. Also on May 15, many parents gathered in front of the center's facility on Kha Van Can Street (Thu Duc City), but the facility has already closed.

On May 16, many parents of this English center continued to complain about not being able to contact the center's leadership; even teachers and staff working at the center have completely lost contact with the leadership team.

Many parents gathered in front of the center but it was closed. Photo: PHCC

Reflecting to reporters of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, many parents whose children are studying English at the Australian English Center (Kha Van Can Street, Thu Duc City) said that for many days now, the leaders and staff of this center have completely lost contact with parents after the center announced that it would stop teaching for 1 week (from May 8 to May 14, 2025) to repair the entire system.

Message from center staff to parents about the incident

According to parents, the announcement made by this center is: Due to the impact of widespread heavy rain, the facilities have major problems that have not been promptly resolved in particular classrooms and the facility in general. The break time will be added for students. Parent M. Ha whose child is studying here said that on May 14, when the staff of this facility sent information to all parent groups and said that "the director could not be contacted", at the same time "all staff login accounts were deleted". Many staff of the center told parents that it was impossible to know exactly whether the center could continue to operate or not. The staff of the center will also report the incident to the police for investigation and ensure full rights for students, parents, and staff of the center.

On May 16, the official website of the Australian English Center announced that it had stopped working, only the contact information of the domain name owner remained. The center's fanpage at Kha Van Can facility also updated the most recent information on April 11, and so far there has been no new information.

Many parents have paid huge tuition fees to this English center.

Thanh Thuy’s parent said she had paid more than 37.3 million VND to the Australian English Center (Kha Van Can Street campus) for her child to study English from August 1, 2025 to July 1, 2028. However, from May 8 until now, the center has been closed, and the director and staff cannot be contacted.

Ms. Thuy and other parents of the center have not received any notice regarding tuition refunds. Another parent also said that she had just paid 35 million VND for her child to study English, but after only 7 lessons, the center suddenly closed without any contact with the parents.

Many parents reported that more than 100 parents whose children studied at the Australian English Center have signed a petition to report the incident to the authorities.

The total amount of money that this center still owes to parents of students could be up to billions of dong. In addition to students, the center's staff are also currently owed wages.

It is known that, in addition to the facility on Kha Van Can Street, the Australian English Center also has a facility on Le Van Viet Street (Thu Duc City) and 3 facilities in Khanh Hoa, Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces.

The Australian English Center is under the management of Duy KhangEducation and Training Company Limited, with Mr. Ho Dang Duy as director since 2007. The headquarters of Duy Khang Company is located on Le Van Viet Street (Thu Duc City) and is also the address of the center's Le Van Viet facility.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nong-mot-trung-tam-anh-ngu-tai-tp-hcm-thu-tien-ti-roi-dot-ngot-dong-cua-196250516143355995.htm