ASIA: Vietnam's economic planners have proposed building smart cities in 41 of the country's 63 provinces and cities to “accelerate sustainable urban development.”

In the recent report with local media, Investvine, says the overall goal is to accelerate digital transformation in urban governance by developing smart government solutions that include features like digitized transportation, transportation, energy, and society.

The plans are part of a politburo resolution on urban planning, management, and sustainable development in Vietnam by 2030, with a long-term vision of 2045. The transformation will include rural areas, with solutions for farmers and remote communities, among other things.

The 41 provinces and cities have already implemented or are processing and implementing smart urban development projects and a variety of smart-city services. Vice-Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Economic Commission, Nguyen Duc Hien, stated.

Vietnam's ultimate goal is to undergo a digital transformation based on three pillars: digital governance, digital economy, and digital society.

It would include smart urban planning and management, smart transportation and infrastructure, and smart energy, in the long run, support the emergence of a smart economy, smart cities, smart communities, and overall digital society.

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Bangladesh's $1.54-billion bridge opens to the public after 8 years of construction

AISA: The Bangladeshi government awarded MBEC a $1.54 billion contract in 2014 to construct the bridge's core structure, making it the country's largest infrastructure project, as well as the largest foreign bridge project, was undertaken by Chinese companies in terms of the total cost.

The Padma Multipurpose Bridge in Bangladesh, a 21.5-meter-wide, 6.15-kilometer-long bridge built over the Padma River, finally opened to the public on Saturday, cutting travel times from parts of the country's southwest to the capital Dhaka from seven to eight hours to as little as 10 minutes.

According to Wuhan-based China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group, or MBEC, one of China's largest bridge builders, the main branch of the Ganges has two levels, with the upper tier having a four-lane highway and the lower-tier having a single-track railway. The project has created over 50,000 jobs for local residents over the last eight years.

Because of the river's vast width and fast-flowing nature, as well as the area's proclivity to flooding, travelers and goods were previously transported by boat or ship.

According to Bangladeshi news reports, the bridge is expected to boost the country's annual GDP by 1.5 percent after completion and benefit over 80 million people.