Vietnamese Ministry of Construction’s Urban Development Agency and Dutch Smart Cities Consortium reached a letter of intent to seek for further cooperation in urban development and smart city construction. (Photo: NDO/Trung Hung).

The content is part of a new letter of intent (LoI) on boosting cooperation that was reached on March 29, between the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction’s Urban Development Agency and the Dutch Smart Cities Consortium that gathers leading Dutch institutes, businesses and agencies in the field of urban development.

The signing was part of an international seminar themed “Developing Smart Cities in Vietnam towards Green and Sustainable Growth” held by Ministry of Construction and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Hanoi, on Thursday.

Accordingly, both sides agreed to share their experience and effective practices in urban development, smart city development, airport development and the living environment. They will also work together to develop a cooperative framework for seeking opportunities in smart city development in both countries.

Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Dinh Toan calls for further Dutch support in smart city building in Vietnam. (Photo: NDO/Trung Hung).

Speaking at the seminar, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Dinh Toan said that Vietnam is witnessing rapid urbanization at a rate of 37.5% nationwide. Urbanisation has contributed a significant part to Vietnam’s successful socio-economic development in recent years, contributing 70% of the GDP.

However, rapid urbanization also poses challenges for major cities in solving tasks on urban management amidst effectively using infrastructure and land resources and the mitigation of negative impacts on the environment. In such a context, according to Deputy Minister Toan, IT application and the successful building of smart cities would create a breakthrough for urban development in Vietnam.

Highlighting the important cooperation between the two countries in various fields, particularly urban management and smart city construction, he expressed his wish to receive the practical suggestion from the Dutch side in the field to support Vietnam in developing a suitable smart city model for its conditions.

Last year, during the official visit by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the Netherlands, a model and strategy for developing smart city were presented to the Vietnamese PM. Following up the visit, the Urban Development Agency, on behalf of the Ministry of Construction, has been assigned to work with the Netherlands Smart Cities Consortium to foster cooperation in the relevant fields under smart city building and urban development.

Experts at the seminar discuss the current situation and challenges to smart city development in Vietnam. (Photo: NDO/Trung Hung).

Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Nienke Trooster stated that certain transitions would definitely take place, such as the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Resilience also means that a city can accommodate short-term upheavals, such as a flood. Smart cities offer architecture for structuring procedures in such a way that cities will be resilient enough to handle all of those future developments, she affirmed.

At the seminar, experts from both sides discussed the current situation and challenge to smart city development in Vietnam and Vietnam’s ICT capability and potential in developing smart cities. They also shared experience on smart city construction in the Netherlands and other countries, drawing lessons and recommendations for Vietnam to facilitate the field with great potential for bilateral cooperation.

Source: NDO