Dong Nai Province Courting Korean Investment
LG CNS has recently discussed comprehensive cooperation with the People's Committee of Dong Nai Province in Vietnam, including the establishment of smart cities.
The committee expressed a big interest in LG CNS's smart city project and requested its investment in Dong Nai, a province in the Southeast region of Vietnam, located east and northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.
"Dong Nai's biggest concern is digital transformation," said a vice chairman of the committee through local media outlets such as Vietnamfinance shortly after the meeting. "We are pushing for smart city projects in various areas such as transportation and health. We hope that LG CNS presents a detailed model in each field and take the next step through discussion with local governments."
The Vietnamese government has been promoting smart cities since 2015 and included them in its mid- to long-term development plans. It conducted pilot projects in major cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and Hanoi, with the participation of Vietel and VNPT, which are Vietnamese telecom service operators, and a number of IT companies including IBM of the United States.
Among Korean companies, Lotte is promoting the two-trillion-won Thu Thiem Echo Smart City project in partnership with the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. The smart city covers 6.57 million square meters, about 2.2 times the size of Yeouido in Seoul, and will accommodate high-rise business buildings, shopping malls and commercial facilities.
LG CNS has been pushing for big smart city projects. The company drew up the U-Seoul Master Plan in 2005 and pushed for the creation of U-City in Pangyo in 2008. In October 2020, LG CNS proved its strong capabilities by winning the Sejong Smart City Pilot Project worth three trillion won from the Korean government.