The southern province of Binh Duong celebrated the 20th anniversary of the World Technopolis Association (WTA) with a conference themed “Smart City as an Innovation Engine for Sustainable Growth” on October 11.

The Administration Centre in Thu Dau Mot city of Binh Duong province, the venue of series of activities marking the 20th anniversary of the WTA 

The conference was co-held by the People’s Committee of Binh Duong, the Republic of Korea’s Daejeon city, the WTA, and UNESCO.

Opening the event, WTA President Her Tae Jeong said that Vietnam and the world at large have become more interested in cooperating and exchanging ideas over smart city development and its common challenges.

In his remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam congratulated the WTA on its 20th anniversary and highly appreciated the association’s contributions to the growth of smart cities.

He went on to say that information technology has taken the mankind to a new era with many opportunities and challenges. In a smart economy and a smart city, all social resources must be used efficiently, with one of the most important resources being innovative, transparent forms of intelligence and data from the government, businesses, and the community.

The deputy PM expected that the conference and related events will provide platforms for policymakers and scientists to share experiences in innovation.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Thanh Liem said that through the conference, the province will explore new solutions and advanced technologies to tackle issues arising from local industrial development, such as pollution and social security problems.

In addition to the event, the province will also host the 11th WTA General Assembly, the 2018 Global Innovation Forum and the 15th WTA Hi-tech Fair from October 10-13.

The 11th WTA General Assembly will include an opening ceremony, meetings amongst mayors and university academics, as well as many other events.

The 2018 Global Innovation Forum will discuss strategies and policies on raising competitiveness, which is an important tool for sustainable development, and put forward suggestions for future directions.

The 15th WTA Hi-tech Fair will showcase cutting-edge technologies and services, as well as feature a line-up of strategic business-matching programmes and networking opportunities.  

Binh Duong became the first location in Vietnam to be selected as an official member of the WTA, which has 106 members from 48 countries and territories. 

The WTA has been implementing collaborative projects with UNESCO towards the development of sustainable urban science and the governance of cities. 

During the last 13 years, Binh Duong and Daejeon have implemented many cooperation programmes in the fields of health, education, culture, and society, and promoted the investment of the RoK enterprises in the Vietnamese southern province. 

VNA