Ho Chi Minh City has affirmed its leadership in digital transformation nationwide, maintaining its place in the top-performing group of the Digital Transformation Index (DTI) 2024, as announced by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

According to the announcement, DTI 2024 was assessed in two categories: 63 provinces and cities prior to administrative mergers, and 34 after mergers. Ho Chi Minh City ranked first among the 63, and fourth in the merged group of 34.

The city achieved high scores across all three core pillars of the DTI: digital government, digital economy, and digital society. This remarkable result reflects the city's synchronized efforts across the political system and its strong adaptability during the first year of operating under a new administrative model post-merger.

Specifically, the city led the country in the digital awareness and digital institutional indexes, while also ranking highly in digital infrastructure, digital economy, and digital society.

In terms of digital government, the city launched unified digital platforms and now provides 1,996 online public services, of which 1,778 are fully digitized. This reflects significant progress in data system integration and efficient digital governance, moving toward a data-driven, citizen-focused administrative model.

In the digital economy, the city’s pioneering role is evident, with the sector contributing 22 percent to the city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) in 2024. This figure is expected to rise to 25 percent in 2025, laying the groundwork for the city’s ambitious target of 30 to 40 percent by 2030.

In digital society, the city has built a strong foundation, with 100 percent of residents assigned digital identities and electronic identification accounts, facilitating seamless access to digital utilities and public services. At the same time, strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and blockchain have received strong investment. Ho Chi Minh City currently ranks 30th globally in blockchain development.

Commenting on these results, Dr. Tran Quy, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Digital Economy, remarked: “The 2024 DTI results showcase Ho Chi Minh City’s exceptional adaptability and governance capabilities. Maintaining a top ranking despite a significant increase in management scope post-merger is an outstanding achievement.”

He also noted that the city’s target for the digital economy to account for 30 to 40 percent of its GRDP by 2030 is “a highly ambitious figure” that demonstrates its leadership in creating high-value economic growth.

To realize its vision of becoming an internationally recognized innovation hub by 2030, the city is prioritizing data-driven governance and expediting key initiatives such as the nearly USD 2 billion AI super data center project led by UAE-based G42. The city is also aiming for regulatory breakthroughs to attract investment and is especially focused on developing high-quality digital human resources.

With more than 55 percent of Vietnam’s software developers based in the city, its talent pool is the most solid foundation for enhancing Ho Chi Minh City's status on the regional and global tech map.

Despite existing challenges in infrastructure and project timelines, the city is pushing forward with strategic solutions. The ultimate goal is to maintain its leading role and build a smart, modern, and civilized urban area where science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation serve as the core engines of sustainable development and global integration.

Quoc Ngoc