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The Saigon Hi-Tech Park Management Board sees the plan of functional subdivisions in the highly interactive innovative urban area (Photo: SGGP) |
With existing infrastructure from the Saigon High-Tech Park (SHTP) and the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, the innovative urban area in HCMC's eastern part is expected to develop faster, becoming an innovation center in the southern metropolis's development strategy thanks to the close connection from research centers, highly qualified human resource training, application of science and technology in production.
Accelerating science park project
The highly interactive innovative urban area in the east of the city is a development strategy with a 20-year vision. The area is divided into three phases. In the first phase from 2020-2022, the government issued an overall development plan and framework, and regulations on planning while in the second phase from 2022 to 2030, the city will build works at innovation centers in addition to supporting enterprises to develop groups and create affiliate networks. The southern largest city will promote international-scale projects, establishing a global cooperation network in the third phase between 2030 and 2040.
According to Director of the Department of Planning and Architecture of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Thanh Nha, the eastern highly interactive creative urban area is expected to be the economic driver of the city and the HCMC region in knowledge-based economic activities such as training and education,research and high-tech production in addition to the attraction of 50,000 inhabitants including about 20,000 engineers and experts to live and work in the area. It is hoped that the number of inventions will increase by 100 percent after 5 years and a development land fund of about 1,000 ha will be formed.
Head of the SHTP's management board Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Anh Thi said that over 20 years of establishment, construction and development, SHTP has synchronously deployed 7 functional subdivisions, creating a favorable environment to attract investment in high technology development. The National Assembly-approved- Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15 on piloting specific mechanisms and policies for Ho Chi Minh City development (Resolution 98) will help promote the formation of a highly interactive creative urban area in the East of the city including a science park.
Up to now, SHTP has attracted 160 projects. The export turnover of CNC products increases every year from US$20.9 billion in 2021 to $23 billion in 2022. It is expected that the export turnover of CNC products will reach $26 billion in 2023.
Additionally, the Resolution 98 will promote the establishment of the science park project faster thanks to specific mechanisms and policies. The science park project will be implemented in 10 years from 2024 to 2034 in an area of 194.8 hectares with functional subdivisions. The project has a total investment of about VND14,700 billion including VND13,700 billion taken from the State budget capital and more than VND1,000 billion mobilized from enterprises.
Linkage in technology research and skilled workforce training
According to Assoc. Prof. Vu Hai Quan, Principal of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, the Resolution 98 has determined the general goal for the period 2020-2025 with a vision to 2030 that the quality of education and training must be improved while scientific research, technology transfer and community services will be continued to provide a highly skilled human resource for the city and southern provinces.
The establishment of the highly interactive innovative urban area aims to catch up with the leading research universities in Southeast Asia in some fields of training and research. Moreover, by 2030, it will become a green, smart and friendly urban area, a nucleus of the highly interactive creative urban area in the East of the city.
Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City and the municipal People's Committee are implementing a cooperation program about training, fostering and developing high-quality and internationally-qualified human resources for the human resource development strategy of digital transformation in the city. The two sides also work on management training for civil servants and public employees. The education institution proposes breakthrough models and mechanisms to solve specific problems of Ho Chi Minh City at the request of the People's Committee.
The Ho Chi Minh City National University spends public investment capital or calls on businesses to invest in the form of public-private cooperation to build a Center for Research and Technology Transfer, a Data Center, a Software Technology Park, a student service area, a Sports complex in the campus of Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.
According to Assoc. Prof. Vu Hai Quan, being the nucleus of the highly interactive creative urban area in the East of the city, the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City will invest in building many important projects. It will spend VND450 billion and more than VND 400 billion constructing the Health University and the largest Innovation Center in Southeast Asia respectively.
