Central Da Nang city was granted the Vietnam Smart City Award 2024 for the fifth consecutive year at a ceremony held in Hanoi on December 3.

The event was hosted by the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (Vinasa) within the framework of the Vietnam - Asia Smart City Conference 2024.

The city also received awards for smart operations and management (IOC), start-up and innovation hub, and smart environmental management.

Addressing the ceremony, Vinasa Chairman Nguyen Van Khoa said pioneer cities like Singapore, Amsterdam and Seoul have invested strongly in digital transformation and green transition. Cities in Vietnam like Da Nang, Hue  (of the central province of Thua Thien - Hue) and Hai Phong have started this trend.

He said he hoped that related policies, methods and technologies will be put into practice to help cities in Vietnam become smarter and more sustainably.

Vietnam has 902 urban areas by the end of December 2023 and the urbanization rate is estimated at 42.7%. Urban areas contributed 70% to the country’s GDP.