HCMC makes moves to become a smart and sustainable city

HCMC makes moves to become a smart and sustainable city

Co-organised by RMIT University and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, the Smart Cities Forum brought international and industry experts together to discuss the building blocks of smart and sustainable cities.

The inaugural event featured observations, inputs and successful case studies on urban futures presented by thought leaders from Australia, Singapore, Japan, the United States and Vietnam, with a focus on key outcomes applicable to Vietnam.

The Smart Cities Forum brought together industry representatives, policy makers, international consultants and academics from Australia, Singapore, Japan, the United States and Vietnam.The Smart Cities Forum brought together industry representatives, policy makers, international consultants and academics from Australia, Singapore, Japan, the United States and Vietnam.

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.

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc (pictured centre) spoke at the event.Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc (pictured centre) spoke at the event.

As a leading global university of technology, design, and enterprise, RMIT has been actively assisting public and private sectors in Australia with research and applications on city design and sustainable urban development to best respond to changing socio-economic and environmental conditions.

Notably, the University runs a research cluster on managing smart transformation from its Australian campuses, with direct ties to researchers from its Vietnam campuses.

RMIT Vietnam Chairman Professor Peter Coloe said: “We are especially proud that our School of Business & Management has established a world-class reputation for excellence in education, providing our students with the key skills required to contribute to smart city development.”

“Leveraging our resources and networks, we are committed to making the Smart Cities Forum an annual event to offer long-lasting support to smart city development in Vietnam.”

RMIT and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee signed a memorandum of understanding to foster collaboration in a number of key areas for the city’s development.RMIT and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee signed a memorandum of understanding to foster collaboration in a number of key areas for the city’s development.

As part of the forum’s agenda, RMIT and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to foster collaboration in a number of key areas for the city’s development.

The MOU follows the direction of Politburo member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Dr Nguyen Thien Nhan during his 2019 working visit to Australia for stronger collaboration between RMIT and the city to develop and maintain international education standards in Vietnam, smart city development, leadership capacity, innovation and start-up promotion.

The Smart Cities Forum 2021 is part of the Vietnam Leads policy workshop series hosted by RMIT, and one of the University’s 20th anniversary celebrations in Vietnam in 2020 and 2021. It followed the success of the inaugural Vietnam Leads event that discussed online education in September last year.

Story: Ngoc Hoang

22 January 2021

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