Smart cities require innovation, startup ecosystem

The panel discussion, themed, “Smart Solutions from Finland,” covered various topics on innovation, education, data and finance technology and was chaired by the embassy of Finland. The event was aimed at linking cooperation programs between HCMC and Finland.

Addressing the discussion, Vice Chairman of HCMC Le Thanh Liem said various supporting activities for the city’s innovation efforts and startups have taken place in recent years, including the “Connecting Vietnamese Startups at Home and Abroad” Forum, workshops on smart cities, egovernance and Big Data, all of which have contributed to building an innovation ecosystem, which is needed for a smart city.

Mika Lintilä, Minister of Economic Affairs of Finland, said that developing countries are in need of an innovation and startup ecosystem.

Speaking at the discussion, Finnish experts shared their experiences with smart education and smart city development to help Vietnam and HCMC develop and effectively apply technology to education and the construction of a smart city. Besides this, the experts also underscored the importance of information safety and network security during smart city establishment.

To turn HCMC into a smart city and the city’s eastern residential areas into an innovation ecosystem, the city has launched and operated numerous programs, schemes and projects, including “Developing HCMC into a smart city in the 2017-2020 period, with a vision toward 2025,” “Development of an innovative urban area to the east of the city” and “Boosting startup development.”

In addition to the discussion, a technology exhibition also took place at the Riverside Palace Convention Center in HCMC’s District 4 within the framework of HCMC Innovation, Startup and Entrepreneurship Week 2018. The two events were considered a converging point for enterprises and startups, allowing them to introduce their products and services and exchange experiences.

The exhibition and discussion featured some 200 booths and various activities such as a “Children’s Creativity” expo, startups’ introduction of their products, a business-matching program between startups and investors and a Tech Startup workshop. In addition, there was a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding between local and foreign enterprises to foster innovation and the startup ecosystem.