The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) is an Australian-based university operating in Vietnam, with its main campus located in Ho Chi Minh City and a second campus in Hanoi. The Vietnamese branch is officially known as RMIT University Vietnam (commonly referred to as RMIT Vietnam) and its Australian counterpart is known as RMIT University. In 1998, RMIT in Australia was invited by the Vietnamese Government to establish a fully foreign-owned university in Vietnam. In 2000, RMIT was granted a licence by the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment to deliver undergraduate and postgraduate education, training and research. RMIT University Vietnam was officially founded in 2001, and commenced offering programs at its purpose-built campus in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2004, it established a second campus in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi. Since its foundation, RMIT University Vietnam has granted over US$3 million in scholarships. RMIT University Vietnam has been awarded eight Golden Dragon Award for its "excellence in education" by the Vietnamese Ministry of Trade since 2003.