HCM CITY— The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will provide funds for technical assistance to HCM City for adopting advanced data analytics.

Todd Abrajano, its COO and head of the agency, said: “HCM City has an ambitious smart cities agenda, and USTDA is an ideal partner to support its goals. Our partnership will help the city deploy cutting-edge ICT technologies and advanced data analytics that innovative US companies are ready to supply.”

The USTDA’s funding will help the city develop plans for an intelligent operations centre, a smart cities priority that will aggregate real-time urban data that can be leveraged by authorities.

Through the use of these smart technologies and advanced data analytics, HCM City can enhance service delivery to its rapidly growing population and advance new economic development.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the US Ambassador to Việt Nam, said: “This is a watershed moment for Việt Nam and US Business to drive new partnerships, expand new business opportunities, and engage in all critical sectors in Việt Nam. With the United States as a partner, Việt Nam has the potential to leapfrog into a modern, digitally-enabled economy, advancing beyond other countries in the region.

“I commend HCM City’s leadership for their forward-thinking approach to developing [the] smart cities initiative – a model for not only Việt Nam, but the ASEAN region. Since 2016 the US Mission to Việt Nam has worked closely with the People’s Committee and key city departments to address critical infrastructure needs through U.S.-Vietnam Smart Cities Industry Group. 

“The HCM City People’s Committee has long been a reliable and dependable partner as we work together to create a city that is innovative, smart and efficient, utilising the best of technology the US has to offer and bring about a better way of life for Vietnamese people.”

Lê Quốc Cường, deputy director of the city Department of Information and Communications, said: "[This] is the second co-operation project between the department and the USTDA following the success of the Technical Assistance to Develop the Integrated Emergency Communications System for HCM City programme in 2018-19."

"The signing of the grant agreement for the Technical Assistance to Develop the Intelligent Operations Center for HCM City is the most concrete evidence for the comprehensive partnership for smart cities between HCM City and the US." — VNS