Hanoi
Uppingham Prepares to Open Its First Asian Campus in Vietnam
One of Britain's oldest independent schools is weeks away from welcoming its first cohort in northern Vietnam, completing a four-year journey from partnership announcement to purpose-built campus.
Uppingham School, the Rutland-based independent school founded in 1584 under a charter from Queen Elizabeth I, is set to open its first Asian campus in Hung Yen Province in northern Vietnam this August. Operating as Uppingham Hung Yen, the school is located within the Ecopark development in Van Giang, roughly 30 kilometres east of Hanoi. According to VnExpress, the partnership was formalised with Viet Capital Education in August 2025, with construction overseen by Broadway Malyan, one of the UK's most established architectural firms.
The campus sits on a 4.7-hectare site and is designed to accommodate up to 2,000 students across a full K-12 pathway, from early years through to sixth form. The curriculum follows the UK national framework and leads to iGCSE and A Level qualifications. Kirsty J. Lowery, appointed as Founding Headmistress, has described her aim as building a community that combines Uppingham's traditions of holistic education with "curiosity, pastoral care, and global awareness."
Facilities and setting
The campus will include a sports complex, performing arts centre, football pitch, advanced laboratories, a modern library, and a Great Hall for assemblies and community events. A dedicated outdoor learning area for younger pupils sits alongside the main academic blocks. The Ecopark setting gives the school access to green space that most urban campuses in the region cannot offer.
Part of a wider push
Uppingham Hung Yen is the school's second international campus, following Uppingham Cairo, which opened in Egypt in 2024. A second Vietnam campus in Dong Nai Province in the south is listed on the school's website as coming soon, signalling a regional expansion strategy rather than a single-site experiment.
The opening arrives at a moment when several UK independent schools are establishing first-generation Asian campuses. Rugby School Hanoi is due to open in September 2026, and Dulwich College launched its first Thai campus in Bangkok this August. Uppingham's entry distinguishes itself by targeting northern Vietnam, a market that has seen less competition from British-brand operators than Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City, and where a growing professional class is actively seeking alternatives to the international schools concentrated in the capital.