City proposes Microsoft to join hands in building smart city

HCMC Party Chief Nguyen Thien Nhan yesterday proposed Microsoft to study and cooperate with agencies and businesses for developing the city into a smart city soon and efficiently.
HCMC Party Leader Nguyen Thien Nhan (R)receives Mr. Stefan Sjostrom, deputy chairman of Microsoft on June 16 (Photo: SGGP)  ​
HCMC Party Leader Nguyen Thien Nhan (R)receives Mr. Stefan Sjostrom, deputy chairman of Microsoft on June 16 (Photo: SGGP) ​

At a courtesy meeting with Mr. Stefan Sjostrom, deputy chairman of US Microsoft Group, Mr. Nhan affirmed that smart city development on the basis of controlling environmental pollution and adapting to climate change is inevitable and collaboration to improve residents’ life is the city’s purpose.

He suggested the group to work with the city on startup assistance programs, speed up study and application of artificial intelligence results, and apply technologies to better residents’ life.

At the meeting, Mr. Nhan stressed that the US is an important partner of Vietnam in commerce, science and technology, adding that thanked Microsoft for the group’s cooperation and assistances to the city for the last past.

HCMC is the country’s economic and information technology motive force with labor productivity triple the country’s average level, domestic product production in one square kilometer is 36 times higher than the country’s, tax collection amount is 45 times.

Still, high population density with 4,773 residents living in a square kilometer, 17 times higher than the country, is a challenge putting pressure on household waste treatment facilities, water supply and traffic infrastructure.

That has put a heavy pressure on the city’s leaders, he stressed.

On his side, Mr. Stefan Sjostrom appreciated city leaders’ sympathy and interest in Microsoft and affirmed that labor productivity improvement and compute technology universalization are the group’s target and responsibility.

He hoped to boost cooperation with the Vietnamese Government and people in human resource training as well as modern technology application, especially cloud computing, to assist HCMC to soon become a smart city.

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