According to the plan, the new cameras which will have AI applications will be installed at all buildings of national security, beauty spots, roads and other public facilities including stations, airports, markets, among others.

At a meeting with the municipal People's Council last December, director of Hanoi Police, Nguyen Hai Trung, said that Hanoi has 605 surveillance cameras, but most were from 2014 and lack AI applications, and need to be replaced.

According to Hai, Hanoi has two types of cameras on roads, one is for measuring traffic flow and general observation, and the other is for spotting violations, and their data is received at the police command centre.

"The cameras are at 149 intersections but all of these are old and outdated and the city has been unable to penalise violators based on their footage," he said, adding that the number of cameras and traffic lights in Hanoi is too low compared to the population and traffic volume and the city need to replace and install more.