The key point in building smart cities is suitable planning, said Hoang Le Minh, director of the Viet Nam National Institute of Software and Digital Content Industry (NISCI) at the 2016 IT Day held in Ha Noi on Thursday.

“Planning does not require large budgets, but it does require vision, experts and linkage between sectors, ministries and departments,” added Minh.

“No agencies in Viet Nam have clearly defined the requirement for infrastructure and connection platforms for smart cities, therefore information sharing faces many difficulties,” Minh said.

“Together with the booming of information and data in the era of IoT, big data and smart city, the connection and sharing of information is becoming more urgent and cannot be achieved just by promulgating regulations,” he said.

Nguyen Nam Hai, deputy director of the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, said that to build smart cities, particular standards of technology and infrastructure were needed.

“A standard on infrastructure and digital services is the technology foundation to build smart cities... especially, the access to international standards and standards of leading technology organisations. The directorate will play a leading role in developing standards serving smart cities, based on tight co-operation with ministries, departments, associations and local authorities,” Hai said.

“The Government has to create conditions to develop the market for information and technology, as well as satisfying social issues and forming cultural conditions. The Government has to take more part in mirco-management of social culture for the information society,” said Nguyen Viet Hai, deputy director of the Viet Nam Science and Technology Institute (VSTI).

IT Day was first organised in 2014 to update information and orient the development and IT application in all sectors and socio-economic fields, as well as boost co-operation in research and development, technology transfer and creating opportunities for trade promotion.

IT Day 2016 attracted about 200 delegates, mostly high-ranking officials and managers in the IT field.

This year’s event was organised by the Viet Nam Science and Technology Institute (VSTI), the Viet Nam National Institute of Software and Digital Content Industry (NISCI) under the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Information Technology Institute (ITI) under the Viet Nam National University, School of Information and Communication Technology (SoICT) under Ha Noi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and the Viet Nam Standards and Quality Institute under the Ministry of Technology and Science’s Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality. - VNS