ICT helps develop smart urban areas in HCM City

The annual awards were initiated by the municipal People’s Committee in 2008. 

Organisations and individuals operating in the field of information and communication technology in the city are eligible for prizes.

According to the organisers, this year’s event will honour enterprises for their software products and solutions, hardware products, value added services and ICT applications; units and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the ICT development in the city; and ICT students with excellent academic and research achievements.

Entries should be submitted from August 10 to October 1, with the awards ceremony scheduled for December 15.

Duong Anh Duc, Director of the municipal Department of Information and Communications, said in November 2017, the Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee issued a plan to develop HCM City into a smart city.

The municipal authorities see innovation as important for promoting the city’s development, he added.  

Duc said IT is one of the high-tech components that will contribute to building smart urban areas and promoting creativity and innovation, thus improving the efficiency of economic management and development, and providing better services for the people. 

All districts will be expected to develop a “smart urban area” plan by 2020, according to Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, who is also head of the smart city management board.

Creative urban areas will be piloted in Thu Thiem new urban area of District 2, in the high-tech Zone in District 9 and in Thu Duc district, which has prestigious training institutions.