Hanoi (VNA) - The fourthindustrial revolution will have a profound impact on every country, industryand business, and the transport sector is no different.

The Ministry of Transport organised ameeting on the opportunities and challenges the fourth industrial revolutionposed for the transport sector in Hanoi on November 24.

According to Tran Quang Ha, Deputy Directorof the Science and Technology Department under the Ministry of Transport, saidthat the country’s transport industry had experienced the second and thirdindustrial revolutions, and would now embrace the fourth.

Specifically, the industry has set up highspeed road systems and applied information technology and Internet connectionsin providing transport services such as ticket booking and check-in andautomatic charge collection, he said.

The appearance of Internet-based transportservices such as Uber and Grab and the provision of public services via theInternet are strongly influenced by this revolution, he noted.

"However, due to the lack of resourcesand an overall information technology application model, applications are justbeing developed on a narrow scale, without having formed a common and shareddatabase for the whole sector," Ha said.

The deputy director also said that thefourth industrial revolution could help save labour through technology, however,it could also affect workers by cutting job opportunities for cheap labour andchange the mode of production through apps like Uber and Grab.

Nguyen Ngọc Dong, Deputy Minister of Transport,noted that the beginning of the technology revolution would certainly affectthe Vietnamese economy in general and the transportation sector in particular.

“Therefore, we must analyse and evaluate inorder to manage the industry to keep up with global development,” heemphasised.

In the future, the deputy minister saidthat there would be reviews and updates to supplement and amend regulations formanagement in line with actual requirements.

The effects of data digitisation and bigdata storage require the industry to review strategies and planning to maketimely adjustments, creating opportunities to leapfrog in the direction ofdevelopment, he said.

"We also need to research newtechnology applications, digital technology, information sharing, artificialintelligence and robots to improve operational capacity. At the same time,agencies also need to be proactive in sharing information to serve the work ofmanagement and operations," he said.

Dong also emphasised the preparation ofhuman resources. "The urgent need is to prepare and direct skills trainingand update knowledge," he added.-VNA