Background: As adequate support, virtual reality (VR) has been increasingly introduced into the classroom to help students learn a new language. However, empirical studies exploring the educational potential of using 360° spherical video-based virtual reality (SVVR) in high-school Chinese language classrooms are still lacking. Objectives: A mind mapping-based SVVR learning system is proposed for international high-school students' Chinese courses and examines its effects on improving Chinese learning achievements and perceptions among Grade 10 students who learn Chinese as a foreign language. Methods: This study adopted a quasi-experiment design. Participants (N = 66) were assigned to one of three conditions: mind mapping-based SVVR (MMBSVVR), conventional SVVR (CSVVR), or traditional lecturing (TL). Our mixed-method approach employed pre-and post-tests to measure Chinese learning achievements, questionnaires to measure Chinese learning motivation, problem-solving ability, and self-efficacy, and semi-structured interviews to further explore students' feelings and attitudes about Chinese courses in corresponding learning environments. Results and Conclusions: The results showed that the MMBSVVR classroom significantly improved high students' Chinese learning achievements in Chinese vocabulary and making sentence, problem-solving ability, and self-efficacy. Moreover, SVVR stimulates students' learning interest and class participation, and mind mapping provides students with a clear guide to arrange the knowledge. These findings help interpret the relationships between MMBSVVR and learning achievements, Chinese learning motivation, problem-solving ability, and self-efficacy in an international high school Chinese courses, thus providing insight on integrating MMBSVVR into existing classrooms.