Phong noted that the smart city model is an initiative that the city has been working out for the past two years, with significant successes recorded in the first phase, which runs from 2017 until the end of 2020.
The city has laid the groundwork for four main pillars of a smart city: a shared database and open data ecosystem, a smart city operating center, a center for socioeconomic forecasts and simulation, and a center for information safety.
The shared database of the city has been put into operation at Quang Trung Software City in District 12. The database integrates data from the city’s agencies and departments, which cover multiple sectors, from foreign investment to public investment, education, healthcare and cadastre. The city has also launched a shared database portal at https://data.hochiminhcity.gov.vn.
The smart city operating center is located at the HCMC People's Committee headquarters in District 1 and has been in operation since April 15. The center processes inputs from over 1,500 cameras from the camera systems of the departments of Transport, Health, Education and Training and Public Security as well as those run by various districts.
The center for socioeconomic forecasts and simulation has been in operation since early June 2019 and will be expanded to other parts of the smart city plan from 2021. For the information safety center, the city government has approved the establishment of HCMC Information Safety Center Operation JSC, which will be funded by both the public and private investors.
Phong pointed out that compared with other localities, HCMC is favorably placed, with its facilities, infrastructure, technological innovation and human resources, to become the country’s leading smart city.
The city is preparing for the second phase of the smart city plan, which will run from 2021 to 2025. It has approved five smart city projects under the plan, with total investment of more than VND2.76 trillion.
Notably, the city plans to establish a smart medical center using artificial intelligence to connect doctors and experts at local hospitals with their counterparts at over 100 hospitals in 12 countries.
