Hồ Chí Minh City University of Fine Art was originally established in 1954 as the Sài Gòn National College of Fine Art (Trường Quốc gia Cao đẳng Mỹ thuật Sài Gòn). After reunification in 1975 it was merged with the Gia Định National School of Decorative Arts (Trường Quốc gia Trang trí Mỹ thuật Gia Định, successor to the Gia Định School of Drawing set up in 1913 by the French colonial government) to become the Hồ Chí Minh City College of Fine Art (Trường Cao đẳng Mỹ thuật Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh). The institution was awarded university status in 1981. Recognised for its quality work and innovation in the field of both traditional and distance education, the University offers three-year College Certificate in Fine Art programmes, four-year Bachelor of Fine Art Education programmes, five-year Bachelor of Fine Art programmes and two-year full-time or three-year part-time Master of Fine Art programmes. Each year the University enrols 450 new students in all disciplines. The University has trained many of Việt Nam’s leading artists and each year it participates in many cultural exchanges with sister institutions overseas.
The University is a partner in the Mekong Art and Culture Project, a two-year collaborative project spanning six activities, four countries and eight art institutes across the Greater Mekong Subregion.