Mr. Nhan was speaking while presiding over a conference hosted by HCMC People’s Committee yesterday to publicly announce the smart city project in the phase of 2017-2020 with visions till 2025.
The conference was attended by chairman of the city People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong, district and agency representatives, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and Vietnam Military Telecommunications Group (Viettel).
Mr. Nhan, head of the smart city steering committee, said that the city publicly announced the project after the National Assembly approved Resolution 54 to pilot specific mechanisms for HCMCM development.
Before the mechanisms were approved, the city had taken the initiative in solving problems. Therefore, the efficiency of solving these issues must be higher now, he added.
In the smart city project, it was necessary to build a shared database and a data integration center, playing a very important role so they must be built by the city and developed by Vietnamese firms, said Mr. Nhan.
Reporting at the conference, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy head of the smart city management board, said that the project aims at sustainable economic growth, heading towards digital and knowledge based economy; efficient urban management basing on forecasts; improving living and working environment and intensifying the attendance by residents and organizations in management.
The smart city will serve four urban subjects. Firstly, it will meet the municipal authorities’ demand of more accurate development forecasts, connect and share data through e-government to improve management efficiency in all operation fields.
Secondly, the project will supply utilities assisting residents to make decisions more effectively, increase interaction between the government and residents so that they can attend in the process of supervising, managing and developing the city.
Thirdly, smart city will create a transparent, simple and convenient environment for enterprises to operate, supply them with more information to make exercise business decisions to create competitive advantage for them.
Finally, it will make an information feedback channel for social organizations participate more efficiently in the process of providing services for the city.
According to the city People’s Committee, once being successfully implemented, the project will bring HCMC residents nine benefits in some fields. For instance, people will enjoy a comfortable, positive, health and safe living environment, fresh air and clean water; use low cost solar power and convenient public transport system. In addition, the project will mitigate flooding impacts, provide better health care and education services. The ratio of rime will be low and people can set their minds at rest when using food.
Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong, head of the project management board, said that if specific mechanisms are considered as a direct motivation, the smart city is a lever for the city to create breakthrough growth compared to traditional growth measures mainly basing on capital and labor.
The smart city is expected to create a new breath of air to attract investors and added value for city’s economic sector. Besides utilities, the largest strength of the project is to boost comprehensive economic growth, said Mr. Phong.
Right after the conference, the project management board will specify yearly plans to organize implementation, continue speeding up propaganda on the media for residents to thoroughly understand the purpose and meaning of the project, step up mobilizing non-budget resources, encourage businesses to develop semiconductor industry, intensify investment and develop the market of information technology services for rent.
Each organization and agency will have to build plans and organize implementation of IT application measures in each field and each area.
