Push for intensified advancement in smart city infrastructure endorsed by Deputy Prime Minister
Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, is embarking on a journey towards becoming a smart city, as part of Project 950, a nationwide initiative to modernize urban centers and drive sustainable economic growth. The Deputy Prime Minister, Nguyen Chi Dung, recently emphasized the importance of integrating IT and digital transformation in this process.
Key goals for Hanoi’s smart city construction include sustainable development, IT and digital integration, an innovation ecosystem, integrated planning, and domestic industry development. The city aims to become a fully green urban area by 2030–2045, with ecological agriculture at its core. It is also committed to building digital infrastructure, data platforms, and smart urban operation centers to support data-driven decision-making and public service innovation.
The Hanoi Innovation Centre, established to consolidate resources, support startups, and accelerate the commercialization of technology, will play a crucial role in this endeavor. Smart city initiatives are to be piloted at the ward/commune level to ensure localized, scalable solutions and avoid inefficiencies from a scattered approach.
Despite ambitious objectives, several challenges are highlighted. Ensuring effective inter-agency cooperation, developing comprehensive, clear regulations, moving away from reliance on imported technologies, mobilizing sufficient capital and skilled human resources, and integrating urban agriculture are all key areas of concern.
The Vietnamese government, through its inter-agency task force and Project 950, has outlined several strategic directions. These include piloting and scaling smart city initiatives, developing a policy framework, conducting international learning, directly integrating digital transformation into urban planning, encouraging private investment, and linking green and smart city development.
The Deputy Prime Minister applauded the task force's preparation and considered its formation timely and crucial. He emphasized that smart urban development is essential for advancing the digital and urban economy. The Ministry of Construction has been assigned to lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology and other relevant ministries and agencies to draft a decree under fast-track procedures and submit it to the Government before August 15.
Ministries, agencies, and localities are required to develop and submit their action plans by July 25. The first meeting of the inter-agency task force for coordinating smart city construction and development in Hanoi took place on July 16. The meeting approved the establishment of a task force responsible for coordinating and guiding eligible localities in implementing smart city development plans in line with the established roadmap.
The Deputy Prime Minister stated that smart urban development is not a choice but an inevitable trend for countries aiming for sustainable growth. He also highlighted the role of public-private partnerships in smart urban development. The task force will supervise the implementation of relevant projects and report to the Prime Minister on arising challenges and propose solutions and policy improvements.
The path to Hanoi’s smart city status is defined by ambitious green and digital goals, pragmatic piloting, policy innovation, and a strong emphasis on developing domestic technological capabilities and human capital. With the right strategies and partnerships in place, Hanoi is poised to become a model for sustainable urban development in Vietnam and beyond.
- The government's inter-agency task force, assigned by the Deputy Prime Minister, is focusing on integrating digital transformation into urban planning as part of Project 950, which aims to develop a policy framework for smart city construction in Hanoi.
- The Hanoi Innovation Centre, established to support startups and technology commercialization, will be crucial in facilitating the development of an innovation ecosystem and domestic industry within the city's smart city initiative.
- To ensure scalable solutions and avoid inefficiencies, smart city initiatives will be piloted at the ward/commune level, with a focus on building digital infrastructure, data platforms, and smart urban operation centers for data-driven decision-making and public service innovation.
- In order to tackle challenges such as effective inter-agency cooperation, comprehensive regulation development, and moving away from reliance on imported technologies, the Ministry of Construction has been assigned to lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Science and Technology and other relevant ministries and agencies in drafting a decree under fast-track procedures.
