Ho Chi Minh City has set out 4 main goals to become a smart city: ensuring economic growth with a focus given to knowledge-based and digital economies, promoting effective urban management based on forecasts, improving the living and working environment, and enhancing people’s engagement in metropolitan management. The city authorities, businesses, social organizations, and people are expected to benefit from the application of ICT. An operations center will be built to monitor and control all of the activities in the city by collecting and analyzing data. The center will include many sub-centers such as a surveillance camera control center to monitor streets for crime and traffic violations, an emergency call center, similar to the American 911 center for fire and rescue services, an information security operations center, a public administration center and an information management center for the media. Moreover, any information on urban planning will be posted on the internet. Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan spoke at the Sunday ceremony to announce the project: "It’s necessary for the city’s leaders, people and businesses to understand their long-term tasks and responsibilities in order to build a smart city. The existing resources must be wisely addressed and allocated for better efficiency and this requires smart management."

With a population of 13 million, Ho Chi Minh City needs to address many issues related to traffic, urban infrastructure, hospitals, and schools. Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said: "This is a very comprehensive project that will basically change the local markets, which are not fully open. We need to change our current monopoly management of electricity and water supply. This will lay a proper foundation for developing a megacity."