KIÊN GIANG — The first phase of a project to build a digital network infrastructure that will help Phú Quốc Island become a smart city has been completed, the Việt Nam Post and Telecommunications Corporation (VNPT) has announced.

VNPT general director Phạm Đức Long said the corporation has completed a project upgrading e-government software, installing cameras at designated points to manage security.

It has also finished installing wireless broadcasting equipment in tourist sites under the Smart Wifi project, deploying an accommodation management software for hotels and guest houses.

The e-government system has linked administrations from the commune to the provincial level, helping people and enterprises in the district complete administrative procedures online to get licences or register their businesses.

"Soon, each resident have a unique electronic account to deal with governments at all levels," Long said.

Four air monitoring stations and one water source observation station have been deployed in the island district. The environment monitoring system will collect, process, analyse and deliver real-time data to alert users on air and water contamination, and provide recommendations on how to respond.

The VNPT also has built a safe city solution with many mobile applications that will help people report incidents (accidents, theft, acts of violating urban security) to management agencies and also help the latter respond quickly.

To manage and operate the above-mentioned systems, Phú Quốc has built a centralised operation centre tasked with receiving complaints from citizens, visitors and organisations; improving traffic safety, co-ordinating emergency responses and performing other important functions.

“I am confident that the operation of centralised centre will make an important contribution to enhancing the district’s management efficiency as well as the quality of service provided to people and businesses. This, in turn, will contribute to delivering convenience, comfort and safety to visitors who come to Phú Quốc,” Long told the Đầu Tư (Viet Nam Investment Review) newspaper.

Applauding VNPT’s efforts in helping building a smart city, Mai Văn Huỳnh, deputy chairman of the Kiên Giang People’s Committee, called for concerted efforts to ensure that the project is completed in time.

The corporation has announced that in the project’s second phase, it would implement highly sophisticated platform systems like the Internet of Things.

The VNĐ67 billion (US$2.9 million) project to make Phú Quốc a smart city by 2020 was approved by the Kiên Giang Province People’s Committee in April this year.

Phú Quốc is Việt Nam’s largest island, covering an area of nearly 600 square kilometers with a population of over 100,000 people. — VNS