The horizontal directional drilling technology for engineering investigation can solve some problems that the vertical drilling fails to solve. This paper introduces the status of the horizontal directional drilling technology in trenchless pipeline laying， oil and gas drilling， geological exploration， and the application in engineering investigation. The advantages of the horizontal directional drilling in engineering investigation in terms of applicability， survey speed and survey accuracy is discussed， we conclude that the horizontal directional drilling is suitable for investigation in the fields of deep buried tunnels and other horizontal linear projects， existing building reinforcement projects， archaeological excavation and exploration. Finally， this paper puts forward suggestions for the development of the horizontal directional drilling technology applied to investigation， including super-long hole drilling， trajectory control， continuous coring， and comprehensive measurement.