An international conference discussing digital transformation and smart city development took place in Ha Long city in the northern province of Quang Ninh on November 20 as part of the ongoing Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards 2019 event (APICTA 2019).

At the event (Photo: VNA)

The event saw the participation of approximately 500 delegates from 11 provinces and cities nationwide and 16 APICTA member organisations.

During his opening remarks, Dang Huy Hau, Standing Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh People's Committee, underscored the significance of the event in the context when several localities have explored the possibilities of constructing smart cities and adding further digital transformation to existing structures.

Hau noted that Quang Ninh province has attached great importance to the development of science and technology and the application of information and communication technology (ICT) as a means of providing a crucial foundation to strong and sustainable growth across the locality.

The province has been ranked fourth among 63 provinces and cities in an index of readiness for ICT for the three consecutive years. Most notably, Quang Ninh province was awarded the prestigious Digital Government Award for its e-Government development by the Asian-Oceania Computing Industry Organisation last year.

According to Nguyen Trung Chinh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association, with breakthrough developments occurring in new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Big Data, and Blockchain, the Industry 4.0 will serve to boost the country’s digital transformation process with a greater focus placed on building smart cities.

The conference provided an ideal platform for participants to share their respective strategic visions and experience in utilizing digital technology to build smart cities.

Attendees also worked together to devise solutions for management, planning, and sustainable development for future smart cities.