The Smart and Sustainable City Forum 2024 with the theme "Digital Society - Leading Vietnam's Sustainable Future" took place on the morning of November 22 at RMIT University Vietnam.
Speakers shared at the Smart and Sustainable City 2024 forum with the theme "Digital Society - Leading Vietnam's Sustainable Future" - Photo: B.MINH
Referring to the role of digital society and smart citizens, the forum also shared about the model of megacity governance, experiences from smart and sustainable cities as a reference towards a smarter and more sustainable future for Vietnam and the region.
Associate Professor Nguyen Quang Trung
Great potential of Ho Chi Minh City
Professor Julia Gaimster - senior director in charge of academics, research and student curriculum at RMIT Vietnam - said the school signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Center in June 2024, which includes content on smart and sustainable cities.
Ms Gaimster said the forum's theme was in line with Vietnam's ambitious goal of leading in digital transformation, with higher education institutions playing a fundamental role in equipping citizens and businesses with the necessary skills and knowledge.
Mr. Brent Stewart - Deputy Consul General of Australia in Ho Chi Minh City - emphasized that Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular have great potential to develop smart cities and digital societies, importantly towards sustainable development.
Introducing the Smart and Sustainable City Hub (SSC) of RMIT University Vietnam, Professor Jago Dodson - leader of SSC Hub - expects the centre to contribute to digital transformation and smart city building.
"The vision is for Ho Chi Minh City to become a place for research, training, and connections not only in Vietnam but also in the Asia-Pacific region on sustainable development and digital transformation," said Professor Fago Dodson.
Leveraging technology infrastructure and digital connectivity
According to Dr. Truong Minh Huy Vu - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, Vietnam has now become a middle-income country with a GDP per capita of more than 4,300 USD/year.
This is also an important milestone when Vietnam stands at a crossroads of development. From this milestone, some countries move forward but can also fall into the "middle income trap".
"Many discussions of Ho Chi Minh City leaders also mentioned a lot about sustainable development, digital transformation and global cities. Economic growth is just one indicator in the development process. Indicators related to citizens have a very important influence on the direction towards a global city," said Mr. Vu.
Dr. Huy Vu analyzed the challenges facing us such as financial resources and human resources. There have been studies on lessons learned from building global cities in Singapore, Thailand, and South Korea, which are also facing many challenges. The problem is prioritizing resources and finding appropriate solutions.
Talking about the current situation and challenges of developing smart cities in the Asia-Pacific region, Associate Professor Nguyen Quang Trung - leader of SSC Hub - said this has been a world topic for the past 25 years.
"We are talking about the past 7-8 years, which is relatively slow. The positive side is that Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City can learn and avoid the mistakes of previous places to adjust the development model appropriately," Mr. Trung commented.
According to Mr. Trung, cooperation between the public and private sectors will be very important in the implementation process, creating more room for the private sector to take advantage of its strengths and potentials to contribute to the overall development of the city.
While the public sector plays a role in guiding development strategies and creating an open mechanism for implementation.
"The model of a smart, sustainable, digitally transformed city requires good direction, adequate legal and resource frameworks as well as infrastructure and technology for connectivity.
Vietnam is in the top 50 countries in terms of technology infrastructure and digital connectivity. Therefore, it is necessary to take advantage of this strength to attract large investments and rank priorities in the development process," said Mr. Trung.
Young factor in development
Ms. Vo Thi Trung Trinh - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Digital Transformation Center and the Smart Transformation Management (MST) research group - said that young people play an important role in building a digital society in Vietnam.
It is also one of the strategies used to reach and spread in families, encourage digital transformation, and increase the use of applications.
"One of the problems that needs to be solved is to create digital habits. In particular, it is necessary to ensure equal access for people, especially the elderly population," Ms. Trinh emphasized.
Become a livable city
Professor Melanie Davern - Director of the Australian Urban Observatory - said that smart cities are not enough but need human capital.
As one of the key cities, to attract the best human resources, it is necessary to build Ho Chi Minh City into a livable place not only in terms of economy but also social factors.
There are many different definitions of the concept of a livable city, but one of the important ones is the health factor and fairness in access to services and amenities.
This aspect is very broad, requiring a comprehensive view, a systematic approach, and the interaction and participation of many parties.
"Population growth will lead to risks of infectious diseases, chronic health problems such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, problems with transportation, population, climate change, environmental pollution...
These are problems that rapidly developing cities like Ho Chi Minh City will soon face," said Professor Davern.
What do young people expect from smart cities?Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ky-vong-ve-mot-thanh-pho-thong-minh-ben-vung-20241123100235719.htm
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