Entrepreneur Hoang Quoc Viet Shares Insights on Hong Bang International University Investment: 20x Growth in 10 Years, Emphasizing M&A Success Through Expertise, People Understanding, and Strategic Positioning

At the recently held 2025 Business Forum: Pivoting Growth, organized by Forbes Vietnam, Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet, Chairman of Nguyen Hoang Group (NHG), shared that after 26 years of establishment, NHG has adopted a new development strategy: transitioning from an operational enterprise to an investment conglomerate, focusing on three core pillars—education, healthcare, and technology.

Mr. Viet emphasized that when investing in a company, two key factors must be considered. First, there must be confidence that the company can achieve exponential growth. For instance, if a company’s revenue is currently 100 billion VND, investors must believe it can reach 1 trillion VND in a short period. When selling a company, owners always demand the highest market price, and no one wants to sell cheaply. To achieve such value multiplication, revenue, profit, and EBITDA must increase significantly; otherwise, losses are inevitable.

“When acquiring a company, you’re essentially changing its corporate culture, which leads to significant friction. To navigate this confidently, you must deeply understand the industry, its people, and strategically place the right individuals in key roles—such as accounting, sales, and operations. For example, my investment in Hong Bang International University a decade ago has seen its value increase 20-fold. This success stems from my belief in better management, revenue growth, operational efficiency, and intrinsic value enhancement. It’s also crucial to appoint key personnel to lead the new company,” Mr. Viet illustrated.

According to Mr. Viet, the most critical and challenging task for leaders is managing change. Historically, human thought has been central, yet limited by natural capabilities. A turning point emerged with the advent of machinery: from the U.S. military’s massive computers, which sparked the first computer revolution, enabling machines to “think” thousands of times faster than humans.

Half a century later, personal computers (PCs) allowed individuals to process information equivalent to millions of people. Today, as Nvidia’s Chairman notes, we’re entering the third computer revolution—an era of digital transformation and artificial intelligence, where billions of calculations occur instantaneously.

“I’ve read that over the past year, nearly 500 new billionaires have emerged, almost all tied to AI, even though many of their companies haven’t generated revenue yet. The greatest challenge now is managing this transformative change. We’re facing an existential shift,” he remarked.

Over the past 26 years, Chairman Hoang Quoc Viet revealed that NHG has undergone two comprehensive transformations, in 2008 and now. In this new phase, NHG has identified two critical keywords: “digital transformation” and “discipline,” as going digital is no longer optional but essential for survival.

“As a leader, you must lead. Those who don’t follow must be let go, replaced by others. But consistency and perseverance are vital; without them, success is elusive. For instance, juggling work and golf won’t allow a business to thrive,” he stated.

However, the Chairman noted that many confuse digital transformation with digitization, and technology application with operational model changes. True digital transformation begins with a leader’s mindset, not the machinery. When the mindset shifts, new management models can operate effectively. For the organization to execute this, discipline and structure are essential. Only when these elements align can digital transformation truly succeed.

Founded by Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet in 1999, Nguyen Hoang Group is now one of Vietnam’s largest private education ecosystems, with a network of schools spanning from kindergarten to university across the nation.

Over two decades, NHG has expanded rapidly through a robust M&A strategy, acquiring universities such as Hong Bang International University (2015), Ba Ria – Vung Tau University (2016), Hoa Sen University and Gia Dinh University (2018), and Eastern University of Technology (2021).

The group’s operational model is “acquire, restructure, integrate,” creating a branded chain of universities and international schools. According to Reuters, NHG was valued at approximately $1 billion in 2022 when working with JPMorgan to sell 10–20% of its shares, though the deal was paused due to unmet pricing expectations.