Ho Chi Minh City will receive funding from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for technical assistance to fundamentally transform the ways the southern metropolis manages its daily operations through advanced data analytics.

The USTDA said in a press release on Tuesday, quoting its chief operating officer and head of agency Todd Abrajano, that “Ho Chi Minh City has an ambitious smart cities agenda, and USTDA is an ideal partner to support its goals.”

“Our partnership will help the city deploy cutting-edge ICT technologies and advanced data analytics that innovative U.S. companies are ready to supply,” Abrajano said.

USTDA’s funding will help the city develop implementation plans for an intelligent operations center, a smart cities priority that will aggregate real-time urban data onto an intuitive dashboard platform that can be leveraged by local leaders, the USTDA said.

Through the use of these smart technologies and the application of advanced data analytics, Ho Chi Minh City can enhance service delivery to its rapidly growing population and advance new economic development.   

“This is a watershed moment for Vietnam and U.S. businesses to drive new partnerships, expand new business opportunities, and engage in all critical sectors in Vietnam,” said Daniel Kritenbrink, United States Ambassador to Vietnam.

“With the United States as a partner, Vietnam has the potential to leapfrog into a modern, digitally enabled economy, advancing beyond other countries in the region,” Kritenbrink added.

The technical assistance to develop the intelligent operations center for Ho Chi Minh City is the second cooperation project between the municipal Department of Information and Communications and the USTDA, following the success of the technical assistance to develop the integrated emergency communications system for the city in 2018-19, said Le Quoc Cuong, deputy director of the department.

“The signing of the grant agreement is the most concrete evidence of the strong development of the comprehensive partnership in smart cities between Ho Chi Minh City and the United States on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States,” Cuong added.

The USTDA helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. 

The agency links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.

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