“Three steps” towards the goal
Since the issuance of Decision No. 4714/QD-UBND, Ho Chi Minh City has set the goal of transforming itself into a smart and sustainable city based on a green growth model. Its six key pillars for smart city development focus comprehensively on optimising data-driven governance and improving the quality of digital life.
The implementation roadmap is divided into three phases through 2030. The first phase (2026-2027) focuses on completing institutional frameworks and piloting foundational technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins. The second phase (2028-2029) will step up large-scale data connectivity and interoperability and bring the Smart City Operations Centre into full operation. The final phase will focus on fine-tuning, synchronising systems and comprehensively assessing digital maturity by 2030.
As affirmed by Nguyen Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the city aims to rank among the world's top 50 smart cities by 2030 and become a leading innovation hub in the Asia-Pacific region by 2045. The core principle throughout this process is to put people and businesses at the centre and data at the foundation.
To achieve this, the mindset of “applying technology” needs to shift towards “data-driven governance”. This means that data itself is an essential form of urban infrastructure. Technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins are merely supporting tools. Ultimately, success must be measured by people's quality of life and the convenience of doing business, rather than by the number of technological devices installed.
Investing in interconnected and integrated infrastructure
With the goal of data-driven governance, Ho Chi Minh City has operated its Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC) since 2017, integrating surveillance camera systems, air quality sensors and water-level sensors and connecting real-time data through a single hub. The municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment has also proposed a monitoring programme for 2026 involving a network of 157 air quality monitoring stations, building on and integrating the networks of the three localities that were previously separate — Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City.
Green technology is also gradually becoming part of everyday life. The T04 bus stop prototype is equipped with solar panels to power lighting and information displays, with plans to expand the model to 1,500 bus stops and 160 shelters by the end of 2026. Half of the city's more than 2,200 buses have switched to electric or compressed natural gas, alongside an electronic ticketing system integrated with the metro. Rooftop solar power systems are also being installed at government offices.
According to the municipal Department of Science and Technology, in the first five months of 2026, the city completed 18 of 34 key digital transformation tasks, achieving 53% of its annual target. At the same time, the city aims to build a hyperscale data centre as a foundation for AI and the key pillars of digital government, the digital economy and digital society.
However, having numerous sensors and vast data systems does not automatically make a city green and smart. As affirmed by Associate Professor, Doctor Pham Tran Vu, Vice Rector of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, a smart city needs to operate on a unified management platform, also known as an urban operating system. If transport, healthcare and energy applications develop in isolation, the city may have many smart tools but lack unified operational capacity. This is the gap between installing devices and genuinely governing through data.
Focusing on technology talent
Sensors, data centres and urban operating systems all require a large pool of highly skilled talent capable of operating systems, analysing data and making decisions. Ho Chi Minh City is gradually addressing this bottleneck.
Under its AI popularisation strategy for 2026-2027, the city aims to train at least 100,000 people each year in digital skills in general, rather than AI alone. Its digital transformation strategy through 2030 also identifies digital human resources as a key pillar, focusing on training officials and civil servants in data analytics, AI and information security. In addition, the city is urgently training nearly 10,000 highly skilled personnel to support the development of the semiconductor industry.
When set against the scale of a city with a population of 14 million, these figures are clearly not yet sufficient to fully meet demand. Moreover, a smart city needs to operate on real-time data across all sectors, from transport and the environment to healthcare. Its workforce must not only understand technology and data analytics but also have an in-depth understanding of systems so that analytical results can be translated into operational decisions.
Therefore, training specialists with the expertise to address the challenges of smart city management must also be given priority and addressed at an early stage, rather than relying on short-term technology upskilling programmes.
Ultimately, a smart city is never measured by the number of sensors installed or the volume of data collected. It depends on having capable urban managers who can analyse data and use it to make decisions that improve people's quality of life.
