Smart City Summit expected to help Hanoi choose suitable steps

As one of the super cities in the world in terms of area and population with rapid urbanization speed and population rise, Hanoi has faced great challenges in planning, traffic, security, health care, education, power, housing, and environmental pollution, he said.

The municipal leader stressed that the city is looking towards the model of a smart city, bringing convenience, safety and friendliness to all people basing on the application of key technologies in the fourth Industrial Revolution.

Vietnam has set a target of at least three cities having master plans on smart city building approved and implementing the development of infrastructure and facilities for a smart city.

The ASOCIO Smart City Summit 2018, themed “Creating Smarter City and Securer City by Digital Solutions,” saw representatives of more than 10 countries and experts share their viewpoints, strategies, policies and experiences in building smart cities, and giving ideas in speeding up the building of such cities in Vietnam and the region through the applying of new technologies such as IOT, Big Data, and artificial intelligence (AI).

They also discussed various relevant issues such as proper models for smart city building, support policies, human resources, digital infrastructure and cyber security, and the development of startup and innovation ecosystem.

ASOCIO President David Wong shared Chung’s opinion, saying that rapid growth will accompany with various problems such as infrastructure overloading; environmental, air, and noise pollution, affecting the lives and business activities of local people.

A report by the UN predicts that in 2050, two-thirds of the global population will live in cities, with the highest urbanization being seen in Asia and Africa. The number of urban citizens will rise from 53 percent to 64 percent, it said.

Wong stressed the need for closer connectivity among cities to deal with the above-mentioned problems and supported Hanoi’s plan to build a smart city in three phases from now until 2030, with three key pillars of health care, transport and tourism.

Meanwhile, Yvonne Chiu, Chairwoman of the World Information Technology and Service Alliance (WITSA), said that the alliance is willing to ensure digital transformation, benefiting cities and ensuring security and safety for smart cities when they are built.

Jay Jenkins, head of the Google Cloud Business in Southeast Asia, said that Hanoi has owned favourable infrastructure factors, including numerous Vietnamese addresses listed in Google Maps and Google My Business. 

Regarding measures to mobilise resources for smart city building, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said that along with the city’s budget, Hanoi will call for contributions from technology firms in the city.

Chung also expressed his wish that leading experts in smart cities and policymakers in Vietnam and the world will give the city specific recommendations for it and other cities in Vietnam to succeed in building smarter, safer cities, thus improving the living environment for locals and promoting their socio-economic growth.