Đà Nẵng software park No 1 offers a space for Information technology businesses. The central city and Viettel agreed to promote co-operation in IT and digital transformation in 2022-30. —VNS Photo Công Thành

ĐÀ NẴNG — Đà Nẵng and military-owned telecommunications group Viettel have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on digital transformation in economy, education, healthcare, tourism, trade and industry, agriculture and e-Government in 2022-30.

Director of the city’s Investment Promotion Department, Huỳnh Thị Liên Phương confirmed that the MoU, which was signed last weekend, will include four key projects with an estimated investment of VNĐ4.45 trillion (US$193.48 million).

She said Viettel planned to commence construction of a 8.6ha smart logistics centre using AI and robotics in Liên Chiểu District, as well as an 18-storey site for 1,600 members from the first quarter of 2023.

The group would launch 5G coverage throughout the city from 2023 before piloting the service at industrial zones and hi-tech parks, as well as building 5G stations.

It would build a database centre for telecommunication services and e-Government in Liên Chiểu and Hải Châu districts from 2023.

Following the MoU, Viettel proposed construction of a coastal cable gateway in Ngũ Hành Sơn District, a database centre, and a training and research centre at Đà Nẵng Hi-Tech Park in 2023-25.

Viettel has built five coastal gateways including a submarine cable Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1), Asia-American Gateway (AAG) and the submarine cable TNG-Intra Asia in Vũng Tàu City; Asia Direct Cable in Quy Nhơn and Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) in Đà Nẵng.

Viettel and Đà Nẵng also agreed to boost cooperation in turning Đà Nẵng into a ‘smart city’ by 2025.

Đà Nẵng launched an e-government system in 2014, making IT infrastructure available for smart connections in air control, water management, garbage collection and meteorology, earthquake and tsunami warnings, floods and erosion and sewage management systems.

The city has invested S$43 million in software park No 2, creating a workplace for 6,000 IT engineers.

The 341ha Đà Nẵng IT Park, which was designed as the ‘Silicon Valley’ in central Việt Nam, will provide 25,000 jobs and an urban area for 100,000 people from 2030.

South Korea’s LG Electronics agreed to build the first research and development (R&D) centre in the city to create a space for software research and production in electronics manufacturing in Việt Nam. — VNS