The origins of the Đồng Nai College of Decorative Art may be traced back to the Biên Hòa School of Handicrafts (Trường Mỹ nghệ Biên Hòa), which was founded by the French colonial government in 1903 and went on to become an important focus for ceramic arts development under the school’s first Principal, Robert Balik. The institution has undergone numerous changes of name since its inception; it acquired its present name in 1992. Administered directly by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the College is an applied fine art school which specialises in art ceramics, bronzecasting and natural and artificial stone sculpturing. It offers a three-year College Diploma course for students graduating from secondary school, and a three-year Secondary Certificate course for students from junior high school. It also offers a variety of short in-service courses for skilled workers, plus training programmes especially designed to meet the requirements of other organisations. The College educates designers and teachers in the following Departments: Applied Sculpture: this department trains students in the fields of interior and exterior design in bronze, stone, wood and ceramic sculpture; Ceramic Art: this department trains students in the fields of architectural ceramics, art ceramics and production procedures; Fashion Design: a department launched in 2000 to train a new generation of designers to meet the demands of the growing Vietnamese fashion industry; Foundation Studies: this department co-ordinates the first year’s foundational studies of all courses offered by the College; Graphic Design: this department trains students in the fields of packaging and advertising; Interior Decoration and Design: this department trains interior decorators and designers of furniture; and Multimedia: a new department launched in 2004. Planned future departments will include Industrial Design and Stage Design and Decoration. The College incorporates a small museum.