Hanoi University of Technology (HUT) was founded pursuant to Decision No 147/ND dated 6 March 1956 by the late Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Huyen. As the oldest technical institution of higher education in Vietnam, HUT was assigned to provide technical engineering training programs for Northern socialist development and Southern liberalization. HUT's 50 years of construction and development is divided into four periods as follows.
1956 – 1965 Period
During this period, HUT's staff and students experienced initial difficult and challenging but honorable development. HUT started its growth from almost nothing to become a relatively comprehensive technical higher education institution. Its first academic year opening ceremony was organized on 15 October 1956 in the capital city of Hanoi to admit approximately 1,000 students under 14 disciplines provided by four interdisciplinaryfaculties, which were Mechanical Engineering – Electrical Engineering, Mining Engineering – Metallurgical Engineering, Chemical and Food Engineering, and Civil Engineering. During the years, about 4,000 engineers completed their formal training programs in HUT, and the institution engaged in the conduct of 100 scientific and commercial research projects for the cause of production and fight for national liberalization.
1965 – 1975 Period
During this period, HUT experienced a continuous comprehensive growth to fulfill its political mission of contributing to Vietnam's fight against America and socialist immediate and long term development. Its teaching and scientific research were closely related to technical renovation and generation of relevant engineers to meet with national economic and defense requirements. HUT conducted many studies serving production and national defense purposes and put their findings into use successfully. About 7,000 and 2,302 engineers completed their formal and in-service training programs respectively in HUT in 58 majors. Responding to the "Three Readinesses" Movement, around 200 staff and 2,700 students of HUT joined the military forces to provide in time and considerable technical human resource.
1975 – 1985 Period
A training plan was made and realized to satisfy national needs of technical manpower in terms of quantity, quality and professional diversity. HUT trained engineers were expected to "master three areas: scientific research, design and production." The institution innovated its courses' contents and training methods of theory and practice combined, and it also linked its research to production practices. In order to provide high quality technical human resource, HUT opened its postgraduate programs in 1976 and started to admit PhD candidates of nine majors in 1979. During the period, receiving great attention from the Party, Government and special support from the former Soviet Union, its facilities and equipment were highly modernized. Professional development improved dramatically. By 1985 the number of teaching staff and other staff was 1,467, including 33% holding postgraduate degrees. HUT provided training for 9,000 engineers through formal training programs, 2,200 engineers through in-service training programs, and 26 doctors and masters of science.
From 1986 up to Now Period
In order to realize its strategic goal of becoming not only a multi-disciplinary, multi-domain, and high quality training centre but also a national advanced scientific research and technological transferring centre, the institution has expanded its undergraduate and postgraduate training size, diversified its training forms, provided new disciplines and majors, and innovated its training objectives, contents and methods. The institution is providing training programs for over 40,000 undergraduate students, master students and PhD candidates following 67 undergraduate majors, 37 master majors, and 57 doctoral majors. During this period, HUT has accelerated its scientific research, technological transferring, production and business activities that are critical for improving its training quality and for HUT to become an internationally recognized university. HUT's position and effective benefits it receives from international cooperation has improved, especially in recent years. The institutions has cooperative training and research programmes with more than 200 international universities, research centrers, institutes and educational institutions of 32 countries, and it is a member of eight international university networks. As part of international cooperation, 500 staff and students went abroad for their study, research, exchange exercises, and others. Tens of international projects concerning training, equipment support and scientific research are implemented as a great contribution to the institution's infrastructure. The Ministry of Education and Training requests HUT to organize two programmes for advanced students, namely Mechanical and Electronic Engineering and Material Science, approaching most advanced training programs in the world. Since 1986 HUT's infrastructure has been improved and upgraded basically to provide much better infrastructure and landscape, more modern laboratories; and the institution has also been implementing many significant projects for high quality training and research. HUT staff and student's working and learning physical and spiritual conditions have continuously improved. Remarkably, HUT's 199 billion VND worth Ta Quang Buu electronic library was put into use in September 2006 to meet its staff and student's information searching needs.
The "Master Development Plan of Hanoi University of Technology in 2006-2030 Period" Project was developed in 2006 by HUT and approved by Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thien Nhan at Decision No 668/QD-BGDDT dated 1 February 2007. That is a significant sign that paves the way for HUT to become a research-based university as planned and to reach international standards in order to make greater and more effective contribution to national industrialization and modernization.
With its significant contribution, including staff and student's efforts, for former national construction and defense and recent reforms, it is a great honor for HUT to become the first university in Vietnam's higher education institution system to be awarded Labor Hero of the Reform Period (2000), Ho Chi Minh Order (2001), and Hero of the Armed Forces (2006). HUT's Trade Union is awarded Labor Medal First Class (2001) and Independence Order Third Class (2001). HUT's Youth Union is awarded Labor Medal Third Class (2001) and Labor Medal Second Class (2006). Many units and individuals of HUT are awarded medals of different types. By 2006 two units and three individuals had been awarded Labor Hero, four individuals awarded national emulation fighters, two groups of researchers awarded Ho Chi Minh Prize, 12 lectures awarded People's Teacher, and 148 lecturers awarded Elite Teacher.
