The city's People's Committee Office announced on July 30 that Vice Chairman Nguyen Manh Cuong had signed a decision approving the smart city development scheme for 2026-2030, with a vision extending to 2045.
Ho Chi Minh City now spans roughly 6,800 sq.km, more than triple the 2,095 sq.km it covered before absorbing the former Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces in 2025. Its population is about 14 million, according to General Statistics Office figures, making it the country's most populous city.
Under the scheme, 5G is to reach 95% of the population and 6G will be piloted in selected key areas. Free wireless internet on city buses is slated for this year.
A draft of the scheme published by the city's Department of Science and Technology states that Ho Chi Minh City has not built an urban digital twin, that its integrated operations center remains at phase one, and that decision-making still relies largely on sector-by-sector reports rather than real-time data.
The draft credits Barcelona with the approach, and cites Singapore's sensor platform, Seoul's citizen participation tools and Shanghai's centralized command center as further models.
