South Korea-based Lotte Group has commenced work on Vietnam’s first eco-friendly smart city complex in Ho Chi Minh City. The Thu Tiem Eco Smart City project is expected to cost around USD900 million to complete. The complex will feature a 60-story building, comprising residential apartments, office space, a shopping mall, cinema, and hotel.
For the residential apartments, a big data and artificial intelligence (AI)-based system will provide smart home solutions as well as digital health care services. An ice storage cooling system will also be installed which will freeze ice during the night and then convert it to cool air during the day. This will promote sustainable and efficient energy management, making the building more sustainable and eco-friendly.
The shopping mall and cinema will offer smart payment options as well as autonomous and drone delivery. The Thu Thiem Eco Smart City will also house a HCMC Line 2 metro station as a part of a future extension from Ben Thanh to Thu Thiem Central Station.
The project will also include the construction of a smart logistics centre in the Dong Nai province by 2024, to boost Vietnam’s imports and exports. The centre will feature automated facilities.
Work on the smart city complex was scheduled to commence in 2019 but was delayed due to land procurement issues.