Editor's note: This article is written by Dr. Quy Vo-Reinhard, co-founder and director of the dHealth Foundation in Switzerland, given the framework of a forum contributing technological solutions to the development of Ho Chi Minh City, held by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, and the Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association from November 22 to December 30, 2021.

Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City should embrace strategies to transform into a city of innovation, science and technology, having been listed among the most innovative cities around the globe.

In 2021, the southern city stands at the 239th position in the top 300 most innovative cities, climbing 72 places from 2019, according to data analysts 2thinknow.

The city is classified in the NODE (National Open Digital Ecosystem) group, with the right strategy and development planning, 2thinknow said in a report.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam continues to lead the lower middle-income group, ranking 44th among the 132 economies worldwide featured in the Global Innovation Index 2021.

This article will present some approaches to boost the performance of Ho Chi Minh City, particularly in the categories of innovative power and economic potential, and help it move up to the HUB (central city) level, or even the NEXUS category, which indicates highly connective urban centers.

Human capital

Human capital is the most important asset for any sort of development. Especially in innovation, science and high tech, human capital should be called from all possible domestic and overseas resources, as well as expat communities to help Ho Chi Minh City rise to the innovation nexus level.

To make this happen, city leaders, policy makers, cooperation, education, and all stakeholders should join and create a co-innovation cooperation culture, sustainable mindsets, and best strategies to welcome talents in Innovation, Science & Technologies to Ho Chi Minh City.

Regulation framework should exclusively accommodate innovation while promoting broader social goals.

Education must be the place to nurture innovation for a sustainable development.

Co-innovation

How do you dream of Ho Chi Minh City as a city worth for living? To be able to advance in the Innovation Index, we should design multiple smart urban co-innovation labs, not only in the city but also the surrounding areas.

The city should arrange a series of problem statement calls and ask for all possible solutions with real connections to investors.

These innovative technologies can also catalyze cross-border co-innovation, as many Vietnamese experts living abroad are willing to contribute to the sustainable development of Ho Chi Minh City.

Since the city is already a hub of Biotech, Medtech, High-tech, we should focus to the sustainability aspect as it will drive the city’s development in the long term.

The next call for challenges and solutions should focus on CO2 emissions, post-COVID education planning, IT infrastructure for small- and medium-sized enterprises, filling the inequality gaps between the high- and low-income groups, new 5G geospatial applications, robotics and automation.

A significant amount of funding should be allocated to these solutions. We should look at Switzerland as an example as the city ranks top in innovation for the last 11 years.

During and post the COVID-19 crisis, while many other countries are cutting off the resources and funding, Switzerland still increases investment in science, education, and technology.

Part of the research carried out in Switzerland is also financed from abroad. In 2019, this funding amounted to CHF1.4 billion (US$1.5 billion), mainly from private companies.

Movement for a circular economy

Local and international companies need to constantly adapt to a forcefully changing international market post COVID-19 and a regulatory environment.

Circular economy should be on top priority for any development planning. Perhaps, Ho Chi Minh City needs the transition towards more sustainable modes of production and consumption.

The city's policy makers should provide clear metrics in short term until 2025 and long term until 2030, how much percentage of reusing and recycling construction materials, and how much green energy they can commit and integrate into the economy.

This information should be accessible by the public and audited by external experts to be sure the city government is on the right track.

At the end of the day, every strategy is executed by human capital. That is why education is the key for every group of population, cooperation and leaders.

Technology will not be a key issue, but the awareness, particularly among the business community, is a challenge here.

Therefore, for a circular economy, the city should focus on raising awareness and educational programs; prioritizing sectors, first with agriculture, plastic, textile, and then industrial processing for sustainable development; and proving the success of the metrics and following up closely.

Last, innovation is the main driver of productivity and economic growth as well as social change. Like the coronavirus, most of us see the pandemic as a disease, some of us see as the crown.

Therefore, beneath every challenge, there are multiple opportunities. Ho Chi Minh City has so much potential to grow to a nexus innovative city.

A key question, however, is how can we make effective innovation happen? This is where innovation ecosystems and talents come together. It doesn’t have to be a new technology, it can be new ways of organizing people, talents, new processes, new markets, but all needs to focus to the sustainable development.

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