Australia–Vietnam Smart Cities Business Forum 2025: Advancing Sustainable Urban Innovation

The Australia-Vietnam Smart Cities Business Forum 2025 successfully took place on 8 May at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City, as part of Smart City Asia 2025.

Hosted by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) Vietnam, the forum brought together representatives from government bodies, leading businesses, academic institutions, and innovation-driven organizations from both Australia and Vietnam. The event reinforced a shared commitment to building smarter, greener, and more livable cities, while also strengthening trade and investment ties-particularly in the digital economy.

Building on insights from the Smart City Focus Group - Vietnam Market Deep-Dive held in April 2025, the forum explored the current landscape, challenges, and cooperation opportunities in Vietnam’s smart city journey.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Jonathan Saw, Trade and Investment Commissioner to Vietnam, emphasized the strategic importance of the Australia-Vietnam partnership following the elevation to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024. He highlighted how Austrade’s Landing Pad initiative is helping to accelerate digital transformation through Australian technologies and local collaboration.

The forum also welcomed a delegation of 13 Australian companies who showcased cutting-edge solutions in clean energy, digital transformation, smart mobility, ESG compliance, and more-demonstrating Australia’s strong capabilities in sustainable urban development.

Vietnam’s Smart City Landscape and Opportunities

With 48 out of 63 provinces implementing smart city strategies and nearly 100 district-level Intelligent Operations Centers (IOCs), Vietnam is experiencing a surge in urban innovation driven by high internet penetration and rapid urbanization. However, challenges such as fragmented planning, infrastructure limitations, and data governance issues remain.

Experts from UN-Habitat, Vietnamese-German University, EVN HCMC, and the private sector underscored the need for more people-centric design, strong public-private partnerships, and regulatory frameworks to ensure smart cities are inclusive, resilient, and future-ready.

Looking ahead, Vietnam’s smart city market-valued at USD 7.1 billion in 2024-is projected to reach USD 22.7 billion by 2033 (IMARC Group), offering immense opportunities for Australian collaboration in areas such as AI, cybersecurity, telemedicine, and sustainable infrastructure.

The forum concluded with a strong message: Australia and Vietnam are well-positioned to co-develop smart city solutions that improve quality of life, drive innovation, and promote long-term urban sustainability.

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Landing Pads is an Australian Government’s initiative to help export-ready Australian tech businesses to expand globally. Established since 2017, Landing Pads are now available in Singapore, Bengaluru, Shanghai, London, San Francisco, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Landing Pad in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was launched last year during a Southeast Asia Business Exchange ‘Partnering for a Digital Future’ mission to Vietnam, following an announcement by the Australian Prime Minister at the ASEAN-Australia Summit in Melbourne on March 5, 2024.

The Landing Pad provides on-the-ground support for market ready Australian technology startups and scaleups to develop an effective go-to market strategy and secure partnerships in Vietnam that contribute towards Vietnam’s burgeoning digital transformation agenda.