Where Is Kocher High School in 'F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers'?

The school in the GMMTV series 'F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers' (หัวใจรักสี่ดวงดาว)

by Amelie in Bangkok

After Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China, it's Thailand's turn to adapt the beloved manga "Hana Yori Dango" for television. After months of teasing, "F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers" finally blossomed into the small screen in December 2021.

The Flower Four are still here, recast as GMMTV stars Vachirawit 'Bright' Chivaaree and Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, fresh off the success of boys' love series "2gether," along with actors Jirawat Sutivanisak and Hirunkit Changkham. Naturally, the show is very rooted in Thai culture, with liberties taken every now and then to make the Japanese tale more palatable to local audiences.

At the center of the story is Kocher High School Bangkok, "F4 Thailand's" answer to Ming De University in the 2018 adaptation of the manga.

In reality, Kocher High School is Brighton College Bangkok, an international institution in Bangkok's Bang Kapi district. Opened in 2016, this is a sister school to Brighton College UK.

Kocher HS as seen below on the GMMTV series and its real-life filming location Brighton College Bangkok above (via Wikimedia Commons)

However, the all-important cafeteria scenes were filmed at the communication arts building in Rangsit University, around 44 kilometers away from Brighton College.

Rangsit University also stood in for Kocher School on 'F4 Thailand'

MJ, Kavin and Ren hold court at the communication arts gallery in Rangsit University, one of the filming locations for 'F4 Thailand'

Take the "salt of the earth and light of the world" tagline of Kocher High School with a grain of salt though. The "hiso" fictional school is full of tormentors, and the Flower Four are as cruel as ever at the beginning of the story.

Like Shancai, Jan-di and Makino before her, Gorya (Tontawan Tantivejakul) really felt the class divide at Kocher, and it was up to her to fight and give it a well-deserved kick.

Thyme and company terrorized their classmates on set at Rangsit University in Pathumthani