Policy on the Application of Information Technology in Management and Operating Smart Urban Areas in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has pursued a smart-city agenda since 2017 anchored in shared urban data, an Intelligent Operation Center (IOC), open data, and digital public services. This article systematizes Vietnam’s national policy stack that enables smart-city IT (digital government strategy, data-sharing and personal-data regulations, cybersecurity, electronic transactions, telecommunications) and maps it to HCMC’s institutional architecture and flagship platforms. Using a policy-analysis framework that combines Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) with international smart-city indicators (ITU/ISO), we assess progress, surface gaps (interoperability, data governance, privacy-by-design, capability and vendor lock-in risks), and propose a sequenced roadmap for HCMC to move from projectized pilots to an integrated, standards-based urban digital operating model. Contributions include (i) a consolidated view of Vietnam’s enabling regulations for urban IT, (ii) a structured assessment of HCMC’s smart-city instruments, and (iii) actionable policy and implementation guidance consistent with global benchmarks.