Vinhomes Integrates Global Smart-City Standards from the Ground Up, Positioning Vietnam as a Leader in Urban Innovation

In an era where cities are increasingly evaluated by their measurable resilience, governance, and sustainability, Vinhomes is taking an uncommon approach by embedding internationally recognized smart-city standards into large-scale developments from the initial planning stages. Through landmark partnerships with global certification bodies, the company is demonstrating that future cities can be designed not only to be greener and smarter but also to perform against internationally benchmarked metrics.

The global competition for capital, talent, and innovation is reshaping how cities are planned. According to the OECD, data governance has become a foundational element of smart-city development, while internationally standardized indicators such as ISO 37122 enable cities to measure performance consistently, benchmark against global peers, and inform better policy and investment decisions. The World Council on City Data (WCCD) adds that ISO-standardized, independently verified, and globally comparable city data enables cities to make better planning and investment decisions, benchmark performance against global peers, and attract investment through greater transparency and comparability.

ISO 37122, developed by the International Organization for Standardization, establishes globally comparable indicators for evaluating smart-city performance across mobility, energy, environmental management, digital infrastructure, governance, public safety, and innovation. For governments and developers alike, the implication is significant: future cities will increasingly be judged by what they can measure and verify. Few developers have attempted to integrate these standards before a city is even built, but Vinhomes is pursuing this path, embedding internationally recognized smart-city metrics into the planning process itself.

On March 3, 2026, Vinhomes Green Paradise - Can Gio officially launched its Smart City Certification Project in partnership with Korea Management Association Consulting (KMAC), the WCCD, and the Standardized Urban Metrics (SUM) initiative. The collaboration aims to achieve the WCCD/SUM ISO 37122 Custom Smart City Certification, a customized framework derived from ISO 37122 specifically developed for large-scale greenfield urban projects. KMAC provides strategic consulting and technical advisory services, while WCCD and SUM are responsible for developing the customized indicator framework, supervising the assessment process, and overseeing certification, with an Interim Certification targeted within 2026.

This approach reflects a broader evolution in urban development. Historically, many cities have sought certification only after major infrastructure systems were completed. Greenfield developments, however, offer a different opportunity: sustainability, digital governance, and performance measurement can be integrated into planning from the outset rather than retrofitted later. Mr. Chulse Oh, Head of AX Group at KMAC, stated, "This project symbolizes a landmark collaboration between Vietnam and Korea in advancing global smart city standards. By combining Vinhomes' visionary urban development with KMAC's consulting expertise and WCCD/SUM's global certification framework, Vinhomes Green Paradise will become a model for data-driven governance, sustainability, and smart innovation."

Vinhomes Green Paradise occupies 2,870 hectares in one of Vietnam's most distinctive ecological settings, bordered by the Can Gio Sea and the UNESCO-recognized Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve. The project features 121 kilometers of coastline while maintaining a construction density of just 16%, reflecting a development strategy that prioritizes environmental resilience. Its ESG++ framework expands upon traditional Environmental, Social, and Governance principles by adding Regeneration and Climate Adaptation, placing ecosystem restoration alongside economic development. Once fully operational, the development targets 100% clean electricity from offshore wind, solar power, and battery storage, with a net-zero transportation ecosystem including electric vehicles and a high-speed railway connecting to central Ho Chi Minh City. A dedicated Forest Regeneration and Climate Adaptation Fund has been established to support research, ecological restoration, and mangrove conservation.

Dr. Patricia McCarney, President and CEO of WCCD and Director of SUM, remarked, "Vietnam is emerging as one of the most promising leaders in smart and sustainable city development. The Vinhomes Green Paradise is a remarkable new development in Vietnam that deserves global recognition. We are honored to partner with Vinhomes and KMAC to ensure that Vinhomes Green Paradise achieves global recognition through our WCCD/SUM ISO 37122 Custom Certification." The project has also become the first official participant in the "7 Wonders of the Future Cities" campaign initiated by New7Wonders.

Less than two months later, on April 25, 2026, Vinhomes introduced Vinhomes Global Gate Ha Long, a coastal mega-city spanning more than 6,200 hectares in Quang Ninh Province. Positioned as a "New Hanoi" beside the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay, the project is designed as a fully integrated urban ecosystem. More than 2,500 hectares are dedicated to green landscapes, water systems, and mangrove forests, including 680 hectares of naturally filtered sea, approximately 200 kilometers of white-sand coastline, and more than 660 hectares of Globe Ha Long Forest Park. The development is envisioned as the world's first ESG-oriented city progressing toward the emerging ISO 37125 standard for sustainable urban development.

Taken together, the two developments reveal an increasingly distinctive strategy. Rather than viewing international standards as external certifications to pursue after construction, Vinhomes is integrating them into the earliest stages of planning, governance, and infrastructure design. By building around those standards from the outset, Vinhomes is making the case that Vietnam can help shape the next chapter of global smart-city development, one where data, governance, and environmental resilience become as important as architecture itself.