Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang in Vietnam will be part of the ASEAN network of smart cities being proposed by Singapore, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 25 April.

“I visited all three cities during my two visits to Vietnam last year, and was very impressed with their rapid urban development. Their inclusion in the smart cities network will add to ASEAN’s vibrancy,” said Mr Lee.

He made the announcement at a dinner he hosted for his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is on a three-day official visit to Singapore ahead of the 32nd ASEAN Summit this weekend.

The smart cities network, which aims to better connect digital infrastructure and services like e-payments across the region, is Singapore’s flagship initiative as the chair of ASEAN this year.

Singapore is keen to strengthen ASEAN’s resilience and innovation by developing e-commerce regulation and technology infrastructure, and boosting cybersecurity in the region. ASEAN’s digital economy is forecast to hit US$200 billion (S$265 billion) by 2025, according to a report by Temasek and Google last year.

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