The smart camera system will be set up on a pilot basis along major intersections in District 3 under an agreement signed between the city and Hanoi-based Technology Security Money Global Jsc.

The system will analyze ongoing traffic condition in real time, calculating the number of vehicles and their classification, such as cars, trucks, passenger buses or cabs, before suggesting routes that vehicles can take to avoid the congested spots. It will advise how vehicles should move to unlock the traffic gridlock.

It will also identify violations of traffic rules like breaking red lights, parking in wrong places, moving in the wrong direction or lanes, and send them to the city's traffic monitoring headquarters.

Furthermore, the system will be able to provide information on flooded areas and update data on air pollution.

All funds for the pilot project will be covered by the Hanoi firm, which supplies Internet of Things, AI and security encryption products and services.

The pilot project will last six months starting this month. If it is deemed feasible, a contract will be signed between the city and the company to implement the system.

The project is part of the city's plan to set up 10,000 cameras worth VND1.6 trillion ($69 million) across the city in the 2019-2025 period.

Vietnamese engineers working with the company have developed the smart cameras themselves. The company has tested them in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, which neighbors HCMC. It is yet to provide its products and services in Hanoi.

The country's largest metropolis, HCMC is home to 13 million people, including migrants.

As of June this year, the city had 8.94 million private vehicles, up 6.98 percent against the same period last year, including more than 825,300 cars, up 16 percent, according to the municipal Transport Department.

Traffic jams have been a chronic problem for years, posing a headache for the city's administration and a nightmare for local residents.

In its latest move to cope with the problem, the city has announced plans to limit the number of motorbikes from 2021-2025, and ban them completely in Districts 1, 3, 5 and 10 from 2025 onwards.

The city also proposes to charge cars entering its central area, as well as impose strict technical safety and environmental standards, including imposing an "environmental tax" aimed at limiting the number of cars entering the city center.