HCM CITY – A smart city control centre that opened on Phú Quốc Island on Wednesday will receive residents’complaints and coordinate emergency functions, among other functions.

Phạm Văn Nghiệp, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee of Phú Quốc District, said the centre would receive information from citizens, visitors and organisations about theft, security problems and other complaints; improve traffic safety, and co-ordinate emergency responses and other activities.

Việt Nam Post and Telecommunications (VNPT) has helped the island build a safe city solution with mobile apps that help people report incidents (accidents, theft, acts that violate urban security) to management agencies and help the latter respond quickly.

The residents must install the “Safe City” app on their smartphone.

The VNĐ67 billion (US$2.9 million) project, invested in by VNPT under the smart city project for Phú Quốc by 2020, was approved by the Kiên Giang Province People’s Committee in April last year.

The project was based on VNPT’s information communications technology infrastructure and the province’s e-governance system.

Phú Quốc authorities have also completed a public wi-fi system that provides free access in Dương Đông and An Thới towns.

As many as 50 camera monitors also link with the smart city control centre in Phú Quốc Island.

For online management of visitors, VNPT has trained over 90 police officers and workers at 200 guesthouses and hotels on the island.

Hotels no longer need to take guests’ passports to the local police station for registration.

To monitor the environment, VNPT and local authorities have built stations to supervise household wastewater treatment, and air and seawater pollution.

The e-government system links administration from the commune to the provincial level, which helps people and enterprises in the district complete procedures online for licences or business registration.

Phú Quốc in the Mekong Delta, Bắc Vân Phong in central Khánh Hòa Province, and Vân Đồn in northern Quảng Ninh Province are expected to become special administrative-economic units.

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