Hồng Hạc City has officially signed a strategic partnership with EQuest Education Group to build a school system right in the heart of the urban area in Bắc Ninh. This important event was announced on 18 July at a ceremony organised by developer Phú Mỹ Hưng, marking a transformation from a purely residential urban area into an internationally standard integrated education city model. Notably, the signing ceremony coincided with the groundbreaking of the first school at Hồng Hạc City, affirming the commitment to developing educational infrastructure in parallel with residential infrastructure from the project’s earliest stages.
The partnership signing ceremony between Hồng Hạc City and EQuest unfolded as a strategic “three-in-one” event, with developer Phú Mỹ Hưng simultaneously carrying out three activities: announcing the partnership with EQuest, breaking ground on the first school and opening the second show home in the Bespoke Collection. Furthermore, the presence of strategic partner Nomura in urban development and Nihon Housing in operations management shows that Hồng Hạc City is being developed to comprehensive international standards, covering not only housing but the entire education ecosystem.
The education system that Hồng Hạc City has signed up to build with EQuest comprises three main school types: nursery schools, all-through schools and upper secondary schools, covering the entire learning journey from early childhood through to the end of secondary education for residents’ children. Specifically, in the very first groundbreaking phase, two facilities — a 3-storey nursery school and a 5-storey all-through school — were commenced on a site of nearly 17,000m² in the Hồng Phát subdivision.
Moreover, this entire school system is positioned within the master plan of the nearly 198-hectare urban area at Hanoi’s north-eastern gateway, where Phú Mỹ Hưng and Nomura have not only reserved a large land fund for education but also invited international architecture and planning firms to take part in a coordinated design from the outset. Let us explore each aspect of this noteworthy partnership agreement in detail.
Has Hồng Hạc City Signed a Partnership with EQuest Education Group?
Yes, Hồng Hạc City has officially signed a strategic partnership with EQuest Education Group, based on three core reasons: EQuest is Vietnam’s leading private education organisation accredited internationally by Cognia; this partnership model aligns with Hồng Hạc City’s education-city orientation; and the signing took place in parallel with the groundbreaking of the first school on 18 July in Bắc Ninh.
To better understand the significance of this event, it is worth considering Hồng Hạc City’s development context. The urban area is being jointly developed by Phú Mỹ Hưng and Nomura on a scale of nearly 198 hectares in Bắc Ninh, following an “all-in-one” model that seamlessly integrates housing, education, healthcare, retail and community spaces within a single ecosystem. This is not the first time EQuest has partnered with a large-scale property developer, as the group currently operates 25 educational facilities nationwide under proven partnership models.
More importantly, the partnership with EQuest reflects the consistent development philosophy Phú Mỹ Hưng has pursued for over 33 years in Ho Chi Minh City, where the education system was built alongside housing from the urban area’s earliest days. At Hồng Hạc City, education is not regarded as a supplementary amenity but as the foundation for forming a residential community and creating a sustainable living environment for future generations. Furthermore, this is the first time in Hanoi’s north-eastern region that an urban area has made a specific commitment to an international education partner right from the groundbreaking stage — a key differentiator for Hồng Hạc City compared with projects in the same segment on the current Bắc Ninh market.
Hồng Hạc City project information
How Did the Partnership Signing Ceremony Between Hồng Hạc City and EQuest Take Place?
The partnership signing ceremony between Hồng Hạc City and EQuest Group was a strategic “three-in-one” event held on 18 July at Hồng Hạc City urban area, Bắc Ninh, comprising the announcement of the strategic education partnership, the groundbreaking of the first school and the opening of the second show home in the Bespoke Collection.
Specifically, the event was organised by developer Phú Mỹ Hưng, with the participation of strategic partner Nomura in its urban development role and Nihon Housing in its operations management role to Japanese standards. According to the developer’s representative, delivering multiple key components at the same time reflects Hồng Hạc City’s consistent approach: not merely building homes but simultaneously investing in amenity systems, social infrastructure and living spaces from the earliest stages, so that by the time residents move in, a complete living environment is already in place.
Information on the Hồng Hạc City project location
Why Did Hồng Hạc City Choose EQuest as Its Education Partner?
Hồng Hạc City chose EQuest because the group is Vietnam’s leading private education organisation, operating 25 educational facilities and serving nearly 20,000 school pupils and more than 180,000 STEM students each year, while also being the first private education provider in Vietnam to achieve comprehensive quality accreditation from Cognia (USA).
Moreover, Cognia is the world’s largest education accreditation body — a decisive factor confirming the genuine quality of outcomes that Hồng Hạc City residents will enjoy, rather than a commitment that exists only on paper. In addition, EQuest boasts an education ecosystem spanning three fields: K-12 general education, university and college education, and educational technology (EdTech), creating a continuous learning pathway for students from nursery through to university within a single unified system. In particular, EQuest also has hands-on experience implementing partnership models with property developers, ensuring that the school system can be integrated into the urban plan in a thorough and professional manner.
Which Development Orientation Does This Partnership Fall Within at Hồng Hạc City?
The partnership with EQuest falls within Hồng Hạc City’s orientation of building an “all-in-one” urban model that places education and the younger generation at the centre of development, directly inheriting the Phú Mỹ Hưng Ho Chi Minh City model that has proven sustainable over more than 33 consecutive years.
More specifically, after over 33 years of creating the urban area in southern Saigon, Phú Mỹ Hưng is bringing its core principles of master planning, synchronised infrastructure development and early amenity investment to Hồng Hạc City in Bắc Ninh. This urban area is oriented towards long-term development, continuously adding infrastructure and amenities over the first 6 to 8 years to meet residents’ living needs for the next 10 to 20 years. More importantly, Hồng Hạc City aims to become a knowledge-city model in Hanoi’s north-eastern region — Bắc Ninh being a land with a rich tradition of learning that is attracting an ever-growing number of foreign specialists and high-quality workers to live and work in its major industrial zones.
Which Types of Schools Does the Hồng Hạc City Education System Include?
The Hồng Hạc City education system comprises three comprehensive school types: nursery schools, all-through schools and upper secondary schools, covering the entire educational journey from early childhood to the end of secondary school, so that residents’ children do not have to travel outside the urban area to access high-quality education.
Each type of school in the system will be operated by EQuest to the international Cognia standard, ensuring consistency of quality and curriculum throughout, from nursery to secondary level. Below are the details of each school type in the education system that Hồng Hạc City is implementing together with EQuest Group:
How Is the Nursery School at Hồng Hạc City Being Built?
The nursery school at Hồng Hạc City is being built on a 3-storey scale, forming part of the first educational complex to break ground on 18 July in the Hồng Phát subdivision — a pioneering component that opens the roadmap towards a complete education ecosystem for the entire urban area.
Specifically, the nursery school building has been designed by the international architecture and planning firms invited to participate by Phú Mỹ Hưng and Nomura, ensuring a learning environment suited to modern early-years education standards in terms of natural light, green space and safe play areas. This is not a standalone nursery but part of an education complex designed in coordination with the adjacent all-through school, creating a seamless learning environment in which children can progress from nursery into primary school without an abrupt change of surroundings. Furthermore, building the nursery school right in the urban area’s first development phase demonstrates the developer’s clear commitment to prioritising the needs of families with young children — the core resident demographic that Hồng Hạc City targets.
What Is the Scale of the All-Through School at Hồng Hạc City?
The all-through school at Hồng Hạc City has a scale of 5 storeys, the larger of the first pair of schools to break ground, likewise located on the nearly 17,000m² site in the Hồng Phát subdivision and operated directly by EQuest to international general-education standards.
The all-through school model will be implemented by EQuest along a dual-track approach, teaching the Cognia-accredited international programme in parallel with the curriculum of Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training. This is the hallmark of the K-12 model that EQuest operates successfully at 25 facilities nationwide, enabling students both to master foundational knowledge to national standards and to develop the capacity for international integration. In addition, this all-through school is expected to become a key educational facility serving not only Hồng Hạc City residents but also the wider community across Hanoi’s north-eastern region, where a growing number of foreign specialists working in Bắc Ninh’s industrial zones are seeking high-quality schools for their children.
Where Is the Hồng Hạc City – EQuest Education System Being Built, and Over What Area?
The Hồng Hạc City education system is a group of schools being built in the heart of Hồng Hạc City, on a total site of nearly 17,000m² within the master plan for the nearly 198ha urban area in Bắc Ninh, at Hanoi’s north-eastern gateway, where transport infrastructure connections are continuously being improved.
Specifically, Hồng Phát is one of the sub-areas prioritised by the developer for implementation during the initial phase of Hồng Hạc City, not only in terms of housing but also educational, healthcare and community infrastructure. This clearly reflects the “infrastructure first, housing second” philosophy that Phú Mỹ Hưng has successfully applied at its Ho Chi Minh City project over the past three decades, ensuring that when residents move in, they can immediately use essential amenities without having to wait.
Moreover, the entire school system at Hồng Hạc City has been designed by international architectural planning firms, ensuring standards not only for floor area and the number of storeys but also for green spaces, natural light and an overall child-friendly learning environment. Within the nearly 198ha urban area, where the construction density is only 27.9%, the developer has prioritised not only an attractive location and a sizeable land fund for the education area but also convenient connections between residential and school areas within the same urban environment, minimising pupils’ travel time. More importantly, this is the first step in the plan to build a complete education ecosystem from nursery to upper secondary school at Hồng Hạc City, where education is regarded as one of the core foundations for forming a high-quality residential community for future generations.
What Benefits Do Hồng Hạc City Residents Receive from the EQuest Education System?
Residents who purchase homes at Hồng Hạc City during the first few years will receive support of up to 50% of tuition fees at the EQuest school system from the developer, Phú Mỹ Hưng, through special programmes exclusively for homebuyers at the project.
This is an uncommon education policy among urban areas in Vietnam today, helping to significantly reduce the financial burden of education for families during their first years of settling into a new location. In addition, the policy demonstrates the developer’s long-term commitment to providing not only homes but also comprehensive benefits for residents, including access to high-quality international education at a reasonable cost within walking distance of their homes.
Who Are the Strategic Investors Behind the EQuest Education Group?
EQuest Education Group is backed by three global strategic investors: KKR (United States), VOI, or Vietnam Oman Investment (Oman), and TAEL Partners (Singapore), providing robust financial capacity and a long-term, internationally oriented vision for the entire education system.
Specifically, KKR is one of the world’s largest private investment groups, with hundreds of billions of US dollars in assets under management; VOI is Oman’s sovereign investment fund in Vietnam; and TAEL Partners is a leading private equity fund in Southeast Asia. The participation of these three major organisations not only ensures stable financial capacity but also contributes to shaping EQuest’s vision of sustainable development, strong scalability and transparent long-term governance.
How Does the Education System at Hồng Hạc City Differ from Those in Other Education-Integrated Urban Areas?
The education system at Hồng Hạc City is distinctive because it was integrated into the overall urban plan from the outset, with EQuest as its professional operating partner from the construction stage, rather than being added after the residential area had been fully established, as happens with many other projects on the market.
Unlike the usual model, in which a developer merely reserves land for education and then invites operators to participate at different stages, Hồng Hạc City officially signed its partnership and commenced school construction during the launch event for the new development phase. This ensures that residents can access a high-quality education system as soon as they move in, rather than waiting for many years, as is often the case in newly established urban areas on the outskirts of Vietnam’s major cities.
Find Out More About the Hồng Hạc City Project at Phú Mỹ Hưng Center
To access the most accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date information about the Hồng Hạc City project, together with current sales policies, available units and special offers, you should consult Phú Mỹ Hưng Center (phumyhungcenter.com). This is a project information website founded by consultant Kim Thùy Phú Mỹ Hưng, a specialist with many years of hands-on experience in Phú Mỹ Hưng property consultancy. At Phú Mỹ Hưng Center, customers receive comprehensive support, from property advice and selecting a suitable unit based on their needs and finances to signing the sale and purchase contract and receiving assistance throughout the process until handover. It is a trusted source that helps you save time searching, avoid confusing information and make the most accurate investment decision.
