On the afternoon of December 9, Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Trần Lưu Quang met with the city’s science and technology, innovation, and startup community, as the city sets its sights on becoming an international-level digital-economy hub and a major center for innovation and entrepreneurship.

At the meeting, alongside input from leading experts and representative science-and-technology enterprises, the Party Secretary stressed the need to shift from an expectation mindset to concrete action, placing science, technology, and innovation in a foundational role to strengthen the city’s competitiveness.

Photo 1: Ho Chi Minh City Party Secretary Trần Lưu Quang speaks at the meeting themed “Ho Chi Minh City on the Path to Becoming an International Digital Economy Hub and a Major Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.”

From a business perspective, CMC Corporation Chairman Nguyễn Trung Chính presented a series of recommendations in the spirit of “do it for real – test for real – scale fast,” focusing on actions the city can implement immediately to shorten the development curve.

He opened with a signal related to digital infrastructure that could attract international investment. According to the CMC Chairman, during a recent business trip to Singapore, CMC worked with a partner managing approximately USD 81 billion in capital. Initially, when inviting them to invest in Ho Chi Minh City, CMC proposed a data center project on the scale of about USD 300 million to USD 1 billion. However, the investor suggested CMC revisit the plan and consider expanding the scale to USD 5 billion, similar to a large project they are implementing in South Korea. He noted that with a 100 MW scale, USD 1 billion would be reasonable, yet the partner still wanted to explore a larger option because they were not only interested in investing in a standalone data center but also hoped to expand broader, deeper operations in Ho Chi Minh City.

From this observation, Mr. Chính believes that Ho Chi Minh City needs to soon establish pilot models that are clear and fast enough to create an “anchor point” for capital flows, talent attraction, and high-tech R&D activities, thereby enhancing the city’s regional competitive advantage.

Photo 2: CMC Chairman Nguyễn Trung Chính presents strong proposals to accelerate science, technology, and innovation in Ho Chi Minh City.

Piloting an “AI-X Ward” to Open the Path Toward an AI City

The CMC Chairman’s standout proposal is to allow Ho Chi Minh City to select one ward to pilot an AI-based governance model—an “AI-X Ward.” He emphasized that CMC remains steadfast in the idea of helping Ho Chi Minh City become the nation’s first AI City; CMC’s commitment to accompany the city in developing an AI City was announced at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in January 2025.

Under the proposal, in an “AI-X Ward,” processes ranging from administrative procedures and urban order management to security camera operations and citizen engagement and feedback would be operated, reported, analyzed, and forecast on a real-time data foundation. AI would serve as an analytical assistant, suggesting handling options and automating repetitive workflows—helping reduce the administrative burden, shorten response times, and improve the quality of public services.

The CMC Chairman affirmed that the company is ready to accompany the city across the full journey—from architecture design and providing infrastructure, platforms, and AI solutions to piloting implementation, evaluating effectiveness, and standardizing the model for scale-up. He also expressed willingness to take on the role of “chief architect,” working with Ho Chi Minh City to build a rigorous roadmap and model for an AI City.

A Science–Technology–Innovation–Education Urban Zone

In parallel with grassroots-level piloting, CMC recommends that Ho Chi Minh City study the development of an integrated urban model combining science, technology, innovation, and education. This proposed space would include a university system training advanced fields such as AI, semiconductors, cybersecurity, and high technology; research institutes and open labs; data centers and high-performance computing infrastructure; workplaces for technology enterprises, R&D centers, and startups; housing for experts, international schools, community amenities, and green spaces; along with innovation funds and sandbox mechanisms for testing new technologies and operational models.

The CMC Chairman suggested that Ho Chi Minh City could reference successful global models of science-and-innovation cities such as Singapore’s One-North or South Korea’s Daedeok Innopolis to design a sufficiently large “core zone” for R&D, talent attraction, and technology commercialization.

From a Spirit of Action to Measurable Projects

According to the CMC Chairman, Ho Chi Minh City already has many conditions to break through; what the city needs now is the spirit to dare to experiment and act immediately in order to earn the right to move faster, earlier, and ahead. The approach of “controlled piloting – standardization – scaling” aligns with the development pace of a mega-city while also reducing policy risks as the city enters new domains such as AI, data, and large-scale digital infrastructure.

If the “AI-X Ward” is a fast step to create a model of data- and AI-driven urban governance, then the Science–Technology–Innovation–Education urban zone is a long-term strategy to build foundational capabilities in talent, research, and high-tech industries. Together, he said, these two proposals could become concrete “action briefs” enabling Ho Chi Minh City to soon realize its goal of becoming a digital-economy hub and an AI City in the new phase.