Data mining, or database building, is the key to making Hanoi a truly smart city in the future, said Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Ha Minh Hai on November 29.

Hanoi's vice mayor Ha Minh Hai (center) and other speakers at the conference on smart city development. Photo: Thanh Hai/The Hanoi Times

Addressing a discussion panel on smart city construction at the Vietnam-Asia 2023 Smart City Summit, the Hanoi official suggested that data mining serves as the fundamental cornerstone for establishing a smart city and the foundational factor driving digital transformation within urban development.

The municipal government has already issued a plan, in which database development is the heart of all future acts, he added.

The Vice Chairman underscored Hanoi's clear recognition of the pivotal role of digital transformation as the driving force behind sustainable growth.

"A sustainable smart city must be people-centric, meaning we should elevate living conditions, and all products and services must stem from smart transformation," he asserted.

He emphasized that the guiding principle for all future developments in the city is to be "smart."

"We aspire to imbue every facet of the Capital's General Planning with a 'smart' essence. All actions and activities must undergo digitalization while preserving local cultural values," he stated.

However, he noted a stagnancy in data mining, highlighting the need for authorities to devise effective strategies to enhance data sharing among localities.

Nguyen Nhat Quang, Vice President of the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (VINASA), pointed out persistent challenges in database development, citing variations in information from one locality to another.

"This poses the most significant challenge for the national database construction. We aspire to have smart cities, yet there is a lack of data sharing among us," he lamented.

Quang argued that the database is public property and should be "shared" across the nation, asserting that such collaboration is essential for ensuring the sustainability of smart city development at both the national and local levels.

On the sidelines of the event, Quang told The Hanoi Times that three major factors need to change, encompassing people, regulations, and technology.

Among the three, altering regulations is a challenging task, and transforming people's mindsets is even more formidable due to substantial disparities between central agencies and provincial and local authorities in embracing digital transformation, he remarked.

Tran Ngoc Thach, Deputy Director of the Danang Department of Information and Communications, shared insights into the central coastal city's efforts to establish a database, emphasizing the cleanliness and accuracy of all information.

He underscored that a smart city necessitates optimal performance from all stakeholders to oversee implementation progress, with government agencies taking the lead.

According to the Hanoi Department of Information and Communications, despite Hanoi's impressive socio-economic performance, the city grapples with various issues such as overpopulation, overcrowding, traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and a decline in provincial competitiveness.