Da Nang City has become the only locality in Vietnam honored with the Vietnam Smart City Award 2020, organized for the first time by the Vietnam Association for Software and IT Services (VINASA).

In this year’s edition, VINASA granted a total of 54 Smart City Awards to various businesses, public agencies, and institutions in a ceremony held on Tuesday night.

The winners were divided into four categories: cities, real estate projects, industrial zones, and digital solutions for smart cities.

After going through three rounds of appraisal, the winners were selected from a total of 131 nominees.

The five grand prizes went to tech giants FPT Group, Viettel Group, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), real estate conglomerate Vinhomes, and Da Nang City.

Da Nang was also the only winner named in the city category.

It was honored for its outstanding achievements in multiple aspects, namely smart public services, smart digital infrastructure, and its appeal to innovative startups.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Truong Gia Binh, VINASA chairman and head of the Smart City Award 2020 organizing board, stressed the significance of smart cities in urban design in Vietnam.

“A smart city is the only smart choice that is capable of helping cities organize, monitor, and control themselves effectively," Binh remarked.

"It helps residents achieve a ‘green,’ convenient, prosperous, and interconnected lifestyle, all while serving as a launch-pad for social and economic development.”

Vietnamese authorities consider smart cities as a breakthrough approach to be adopted in furtherance of national competitiveness.

In comparison to neighboring countries, Vietnam has reported a high rate of smart city transformation, with three cities having joined a network of 26 ASEAN smart cities since 2018.

Meanwhile, smart city initiatives are being implemented in 40 cities, towns, and provinces throughout Vietnam.

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