Australia and Vietnam establish a smart city collaboration aiming for a sustainable urban development.
Rewritten Article:
🇺🇭 Smart Cities, Smart Partnerships:au-vn-smart-cities-forum-2025-shows-the-way
SAIGON - Many minds, Australian and Vietnamese, gathered at the Australia-Vietnam Smart Cities Business Forum 2025, held on May 8th at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre. The event marked a significant milestone in the mutual ambition for sustainable smart city development and strengthening digital economy ties.
Taking cues from April's Smart City Focus Group, co-organized by Austrade, Startup Vietnam Foundation, and Dear Our Community, the forum brought together industry leaders and government stakeholders to explore opportunities and collaborations in areas like renewable energy, AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, and intelligent transport systems.
Jonathan Saw, Austrade’s Trade and Investment Commissioner to Vietnam, underscored the potential of the digital economy in driving two-way trade and investment. He emphasized that Austrade's Landing Pad initiative was instrumental in propelling Australian technologies to the region, supporting digital transformation, and fostering partnerships tailored to local needs.
While Vietnam's rapid urbanization offers immense growth potential, urban challenges such as pollution, aging populations, and infrastructure gaps necessitate more intelligent resources management and planning. Fragile digital infrastructure, privacy concerns, and obscure regulations for AI and data pose obstacles to the success of smart cities, but they also present opportunities for Australian expertise and innovation.
According to the World Economic Forum, the global smart city market is projected to grow from $1.36 trillion in 2024 to $3.84 trillion by 2029, with Vietnam's market offering significant growth opportunities in sectors like AI, cybersecurity, smart transport, telemedicine, and clean energy.
The event showcased innovative Australian solutions to address Vietnam's urban challenges, offering proposals on energy optimisation, smart traffic management, and green building design that leverage Australian expertise in 5G networks, renewable energy systems, and digital governance.
Successful smart city development lies in the balance between innovation and regulation, as emphasized by representatives from various organizations. Governments should set standards, create enabling conditions, and foster supportive policy frameworks, while private entities drive technological innovation.
Looking ahead, the Australian delegation plans follow-up meetings with their Vietnamese counterparts to explore specific projects, while government representatives focus on policy coordination to facilitate future collaborations. The continual exchange of ideas and collaboration between both nations will be essential in navigating the path towards sustainable, smart urban development.
*Note: This article does not provide specific information about collaborative projects discussed at the forum; data privacy concerns, technology reliance, weak long-term planning, and other challenges in Vietnam's smart city journey emerged from the Smart City Focus Group engaged by Austrade.*
Smart city development may involve exploring the following areas:
| Collaboration Area | Examples of Projects ||-----------------------|--------------------------|| Sustainable Energy Systems | Smart grids, renewable energy integration, energy-efficient buildings || Transportation and Mobility | Smart traffic management, electric vehicle infrastructure || Urban Planning and Infrastructure | Green spaces, smart waste management systems || Data and Technology Integration | IoT sensors for urban management, data analytics for urban planning |
Speakers at a panel discussion during the forum. - Photo courtesy of Landing Pad
These areas could be central to the discussions and collaborations at the Australia-Vietnam Smart Cities Business Forum 2025.
- The digital economy can drive mutual trade and investment between Australia and Vietnam, as highlighted by Jonathan Saw, Austrade’s Trade and Investment Commissioner to Vietnam.
- The forum emphasized the opportunities and collaborations in domains such as renewable energy, AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, and intelligent transport systems.
- Vietnam's rapid urbanization promises immense growth, but it brings about urban challenges like pollution, aging populations, and infrastructure gaps.
- The potential barriers to smart city development in Vietnam include fragile digital infrastructure, privacy concerns, and unclear regulations for AI and data.
- The global smart city market is projected to grow exponentially, offering significant growth opportunities in sectors like AI, cybersecurity, smart transport, telemedicine, and clean energy.
- Australian solutions were showcased to address Vietnam’s urban challenges, offering proposals on energy optimization, smart traffic management, and green building design.
- Balancing innovation and regulation is crucial for successful smart city development, according to various organizations' representatives.
- The Australian delegation plans follow-up meetings to explore specific projects, while government representatives focus on policy coordination for future collaborations.
- Collaboration between the two nations will be essential in navigating the path towards sustainable, smart urban development, as stated in the rewritten article.
- Examples of potential projects in smart city development include sustainable energy systems, transportation and mobility innovations, urban planning and infrastructure solutions, and data and technology integration.
- The use of IoT sensors for urban management and data analytics for urban planning could be central to the discussions and collaborations at the forum.
- The implementation of trillion-dollar smart city market policies requires attention in general-news media, environmental-science, medicine, law, business, and lifestyle. AuSTRADE and its partners aim to bridge this gap through the Australia-Vietnam Smart Cities Business Forum 2025.
