During the meeting, C4IR Director Le Truong Duy and Deputy Director Pham Phu Truong presented the center's founding and operational journey. Established by the HCMC People’s Committee, C4IR aims to drive digital transformation and high-tech industry development, with a strategic focus on five key areas: artificial intelligence (AI), sustainable development, advanced materials, green finance solutions, and technological innovation.
The center serves as a bridge connecting government agencies, businesses, and the research community, while also actively engaging in global initiatives through the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The C4IR leadership noted that with 90 percent of businesses in HCMC being small and medium-sized enterprises, the transition to smart manufacturing presents significant challenges. Learning from international experience—particularly via the WEF—will help facilitate direct access to modern production models.
They also emphasized the untapped potential for collaboration in technology, finance, and workforce development. Both sides discussed the potential implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between HCMC and Tampere, aimed at generating tangible outcomes aligned with the development vision for 2030–2045. In particular, C4IR expressed its interest in partnering with Finland on smart factory models in Vietnam, starting by supporting Finnish businesses investing in local manufacturing.
On the Finnish side, Deputy Mayor Jouni Markkanen praised the concept behind C4IR and expressed strong interest in technological fields, especially AI. He noted that Tampere is currently applying AI in chip production, renewable energy, hydrogen, and several other sectors. Tampere is also involved in an AI-focused urban initiative through the WEF and is keen to become a legal and technological partner to HCMC in this domain.
