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HANOI CITY WANTS DIGITAL ECONOMY TO CONTRIBUTE 22% TO GRDP BY 2026

Nguyen Duy Ngoc (C), secretary of the Hanoi City Party Committee, inspects scientific and technology products developed in the capital at the Hanoi Innovation Network Exhibition – PHOTO: SGGPO
HCMC — The Hanoi City government aims for the digital economy to contribute 22% of the city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) by 2026, officials said on March 11.
The target is part of the city’s implementation of Resolution 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.
The city has set a higher goal than the national target, which aims for the digital economy to account for 14.5% of GRDP. Hanoi plans to raise the share to at least 40% by 2030, reported Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper.
In the first two months of the year, Hanoi launched several large-scale initiatives to support science and technology development. These include plans for data centers and an artificial intelligence data center (AIDC), along with upgrades to research institutes and laboratories.
Authorities said the projects are intended to help form a modern science and technology infrastructure for the capital region in the coming years.
Hanoi has also introduced changes to its innovation ecosystem. The city established the Hanoi Innovation Center Joint Stock Company, with 30% of its capital mobilized from private sources.
The center is linked with a technology exchange and a digital transformation marketplace to support the commercialization of research results under a model described by the city as state-led, implemented by businesses, and market-oriented.
In digital transformation, the city has piloted digital government models in 126 wards and communes.
The city allocated VND609 billion to equip these local administrations with technology to operate a two-tier local government model.
Authorities also installed equipment at 139 public service support points to help residents complete administrative procedures.
Hanoi City allocated more than VND9.09 trillion, or about 4% of the city’s total budget spending, for science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation at the start of the year.
Source: The Saigon Times
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