The Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT; ) or VNU-HCM University of Technology, is a member of Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City and a leading university in technology training and research activities in Southern Vietnam.
HCMUT specializes in technology, industry, and management. It constitutes 11 faculties, 14 research and development (R&D) centres, 4 training centres, 10 offices, and one joint stock company as of May 2005. 60,000 engineers and bachelors have graduated from HCMUT in the past 40 years since Vietnam's unification. Today, HCMUT has trained more than 60,000 engineers, bachelors, masters, and 200 doctors from all over the globe.
History
As a result of the decree 213/GD signed by President Ngô Đình Diệm on 29 Jun 1957, the university was known as the National Center of Technology (also known as Phu Tho National Center of Technology). The centre included four partner colleges: College of Civil Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering, College of Industrial Arts Engineering (École Supérieure d'Ingénieurs des Arts Industriels - Kỹ sư Công nghệ) and Vietnam National Maritime Engineering.
It was in the 1960s that the College of Chemistry was established, which is part of the National Center of Technology.
In 1972, the National Center of Technology has been renamed the National Institute of Technology, which was the only centre in South Vietnam to train technical engineers and subject matter experts. According to decree 010/SL/VNGDTN signed on 11 January 1974, the National Institute of Technology was merged into the Thu Duc Institute of Technology and renamed the University of Technology. Thanh Hoa Postgraduate Department (the current Environmental Engineering Faculty) was established in the same year. This was the first time when the university conducted its post-graduate training programme. After the national reunification, the university was renamed the Ho Chi Minh University of Technology as Saigon was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City (according to Decision 426/TTg signed by the President of the Cabinet on 27 October 1976). Being one of the three largest universities of technology in Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh University of Technology has the mission of training engineers majoring in the fields of capital construction, industry, resources exploration and exploitation, and environmental preservation to provide a force of manpower mainly for the southern areas of Vietnam.
As of 1981, HCMUT has expanded its scope to include postgraduate training as well. It was in 1990 that HCMUT opened its master's degree training system for students. Since 1981, the postgraduate training in HCMUT has been geared towards a specialised group of students.
According to decision 16/CP by the Prime Minister on 17 January 1995, the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) was founded. The Ho Chi Minh University of Technology became one of the 9 members of VNU-HCM and was renamed the University of Engineering.
According to decision 15/2001/QĐ-TTg and decision 16/2001/QĐ-TTg by The Prime Minister on 2 December 2001, the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City was reorganised with only 3 members; and the University of Engineering gained back its traditional name as Ho Chi Minh University of Technology.
Infrastructure
There are 2 campuses: one is located within the center area of Ho Chi Minh City and the other in the outskirts of the municipality. The former campus one, 14 hectares, has the address of 268 Lý Thường Kiệt St, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. The campus has 117 classrooms (14,479 m2), 96 laboratories (12,197 m2), 3 workshops (6,950 m2), and 1 library (1,145 m2 – for both undergraduate and graduate student). The latter one, 26 ha of area, is located in Linh Trung Ward, Thủ Đức, Ho Chi Minh City. The campus has 3 buildings which consist of 54 classrooms and halls, 26 laboratories, and a covered stadium. Furthermore, HCMUT also has an inner city 1.4 ha dormitory. With expenditures of 101 billion VND, the dormitory was rebuilt in 2004 and was put into operation in 2009.
The event between 2001 and 2005 is that, with the self-funded budget (from tuition fees, science research, and technology transfer and other training activities), HCMUT focused on rebuilding an area of 26,128 m2 (40% rise compared to that of 1995), upgrading classrooms, laboratories, library, of which total area is 7,670 m2 (increases 50% in comparison to that of 1995), invested in equipment for training activities. All classrooms are equipped with projectors, computers, and laboratories with modern tools for training and science research (worth 80 billion VND).