Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi is taking thefirst steps on its way to become a smart city, aiming to help turn Vietnam intoa modern-oriented industrial country by 2020.

According to a Politburo resolution, Hanoi must strive to be the leading localityin promoting industrialisation and modernisation.

The Hanoi People's Council has also issued a resolution on building a smartcity, via the adjustment to the “Programme of applying information technologiesin State agencies’ operation in Hanoi in 2016-2020”.

The budget for implementing the programme was lifted to 3 trillion VND (morethan 127.7 million USD) from 1.25 trillion VND, creating a foundation for Hanoito promote socio-economic development and become a smart city.

According to Nguyen Ngoc Ky, director of the municipal Department of Informationand Communication, the process for developing Hanoi into a smart city includes threephases, focusing on forming core parts, smart systems and a digital economy; encouraginglocals to join social management; and developing a knowledge-based economy.

Currently, Hanoi is working to build the smart infrastructure in transport,tourism, health, environment and energy, while paying heed to human resourcesand ensuring security and social order.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said the basis ofan e-Government has also been slowly formed, adding that the city completed thebuilding of a population database for more than 7.5 million people and connectedwide area network (WAN) to all departments, 30 districts,towns and 584 communes and wards.

This year, Hanoi is focusing on building a smart governance centre and developingsome basic smart transportation and tourism infrastructure systems, Chungnoted.

Three functional centres of the smart governance centre have been set up,including those for monitoring information confidentiality and safety, supportingstaff in using information technology and managing media information.

The building of some basic components of smart transport systems such as an integratedtraffic information system, a system for monitoring and handling road trafficviolations by images and a smart traffic signal control system, is also underway.

Additionally, an online tourism information portal, mobile applications for tourismand an online Hanoi tourism map application will be put into operation soon,Chung added.

As well as smart governance, transportation and tourism centres, Hanoi is alsoconcentrating on establishing other basic infrastructures for the energy, educationand health sectors, towards creating a better living environment for citizens.

Smart cities are places thatapply information technology and artificial intelligence to manage urban life,improve the quality of government services and effectively use energyresources.

Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc recently approved the sustainable smart city development plan until 2025with a vision toward 2030.

The plan aims for Hanoi, DaNang, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho to become smart cities based on green growth and sustainable development,utilising the strengths of the cities to raise the living standards ofresidents.

With the goal of having atleast three smart cities by 2020, the Government has also launched policies toprioritise the development of the digital industry, smart tourism, smartagriculture and telecommunications infrastructure.-VNA