The Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (abbreviation: HCMUT ) is a member of Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City and a leading university in technology training and research activities in 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