International experts said that urban leaders worldwide were grappling with the policy and planning task of creating cities that are both smart and sustainable, based on trying to balance the future capacity for global city competitiveness, social stability and economic resilience, with the innovative ability to offer smart economic infrastructure and services.
In recent years, the Vietnamese Government has been considering aspects and planning for smart city development to ensure Vietnamese cities can become thriving sophisticated metropolises and contribute to the national strategy to create a digital society, government and economy.
Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Vice Chairman Associate Professor Dr Duong Anh Duc said: “Ho Chi Minh City in particular is looking to improve its competitiveness and appeal to foreign investors by becoming a smart city. We have recorded success in the first phase of our smart city development project, which ran from 2017 to 2020 and focused on building the information technology infrastructure.”
The city is currently in the second phase of its smart city plan which runs from 2021 to 2025. It has approved five sub-projects under the plan, with a total investment of more than VND2.67 trillion (around AUD150 million).
“We expect to increase international cooperation for the next phases of the project and beyond, which is why forums like this are much welcome platforms for networking and knowledge sharing,” Mr Duc said.