HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Building digital data has been identified as acore element in Ho Chi Minh City’s digital transformation and smart-citydevelopment, and the city has begun a data building strategy, according to itsDepartment of Information and Communications.

Speaking at a seminar titled “Vietnamese Smart City Strategy: Achievement andChallenges in HCM City” on April 12, Vo Thi Trung Trinh, the department’sdeputy director, said the city aims to become smart with e-government,e-enterprises and an electronic society by 2030.

She said it would focus on developing three main data groups by 2025: citizens(administrative, civil status, health, education, and welfare),finance-business (summary and statistics of budget revenue and expenditure,public investment management, enterprises, and household businesses), andland-urban areas (geographical information, construction, transport, andplanning and architecture).

All would be stored and managed at the city’s data centre, she said.

“We aim to have a digital governance system by 2025, and so digital data is indispensable.

“The city is focusing on developing databases and policies to support theapplication of these data in digital governance and utilise the data to drivethe digital economy and data economy.

“Currently the digital economy accounts for about 18% of the city’s grossregional domestic product, and is expected to account for 40% by 2030.

“We want data to be a raw material for the city's digital economy development.Good data management will help boost socio-economic development, productivityand competitiveness.”

Going forward, data would be the city’s core asset, and it would haveregulations for sharing and use of data by administrative departments to betterserve the people, she said.

The city would encourage the effective use of shared data to promote innovationand start-ups, she added.

Nguyen Phu Tien, deputy director of the National Digital TransformationDepartment, said provinces are also making their cities smart, but their focusis still mainly on services and utilities associated with e-governance anddigital government, and they do not pay much attention to smart city managementto address fundamental urban issues like transportation, environment,healthcare, and education.

Many localities are facing difficulties with their smart city projects and neednew direction from the Government, he said.

Vietnam wants to learn from other countries that have successfully developedsmart cities, he added.

The seminar was held as part of the Smart City Asia International Expo andForum 2023 being held in HCM City from April 13 from 15./.