20 urbanization years of Binh Duong province - Practical issues – Part 2

In recent years, Binh Duong has focused on planning, upgrading infrastructure, developing industrial parks, while expanding urban space, accelerating industrialization and modernization process, thereby, accelerating the process of urbanization. The urbanization process in the province has affected the economic restructuring, land use structure, labor restructuring…

Economic restructuring

Binh Duong is a land specializing in traditional crafts. Implementing the Party’s renewal guideline, craft and industrial activities in the province have thrived. Meanwhile, urbanization often happens in parallel with industrialization and modernization, turning a part of rural population into urban population. This shifting process has facilitated the growth of industrial production and services, increasing production value and stimulating economic development of Binh Duong.

In recent years, the urbanization process in the province has affected the economic restructuring, land use structure, labor restructuring. Photo: Vietnam - Singapore I industrial park (Thuan An town)

After the re-establishment in 1997, Binh Duong developed Song Than industrial park (IP), Vietnam - Singapore IP, and hundreds of other production facilities. Provincial GDP in 1996 was only 2,324 billion VND, while GDP in 2010 increased 7 times; industrial production value increased by 9.9 times, services increased 8.4 times; exports reached 10.342 billion USD…

According to MA Le Van Nam, Deputy Director of HCMC Urban Research and Development Center, the proportion of Zone 1 (agriculture - forestry and fisheries) within provincial economic structure in 1997 was quite significant (28.3%). However, this number declined rapidly in the following years, and fell by 5.5% of the provincial GDP. This decline did not come from the decrease of this zone but the growth of the two other zones. Zone 2 (industry and construction) has played a significant role, because of its high growth rate.

Provincial contributed amount to total domestic product has increased rapidly from over 1,000 billion VND in 1996 to approximately 10,000 billion VND in 2010 (nearly 10 times). The proportion of Zone 2 within provincial GDP was from 43.2% in 1996 to 61.2% in 2000. During the 2005-2010 period, the decrease of Zone 2 was not a decline in industry and construction, but the boom of Zone 3 (services).

Particularly, during 1996- 2005, the proportion of Zone 3 was relatively small. The boom of this zone happened after 2005. The contribution value of this zone creased from 1,875 billion VND in 2005 to 5,534 billion VND in 2010 (3 times), Zone 3 proportion in provincial GDP increased from 22.1% to 33.8%.

After the re-establishment, Binh Duong economic structure has changed drastically. During 2001-2005, the average growth of industry - construction was 18.2% / year, service was 15.5% and agriculture was 2.8%. Consequently, the proportion of industrial production in the economic structure has grown rapidly. By 2010, Zone 2 made up 60% of provincial GDP; Zone 3 was the second most important activity.

In recent years, the economic restructuring in the province has happened favorably; advantages and potentialities of each sector, each region have been gradually utilized, enhancing production development. Besides, urbanization took place along with economic movements, the growth of manufacture and services. These movements are both the cause and result of the urbanization process and keep interact with each other to motivate this process.

Land use restructuring

The restructuring of land use in the province is reflected clearly through the industrialization, modernization and urbanization process, which aims to form material facilities serving socio-economic development of the province, especially IPs, public transportation, housing...

According to statistics, in 2013, provincial agricultural land reduced 21,373 ha compared to 2000; non-agricultural land increased from 34,341 ha in 2000 to 49,715 ha in 2005 and increased 62,539 ha in 2013; unused land decreased from 6,947 ha in 2000 to 10 ha in 2013. Meanwhile, during 2000-2013, land for agricultural production fell from 94.2% to 92.06%. This proved that purely agricultural production activities in the province declined. In 2000, urban land / rural land rate of the province was nearly 3 times and was roughly equal in 2013.

The increase of urban land area reflected the rapid urbanization. In the 2000-2013, special-purpose land increased 1,365 ha to meet the needs of industrial, infrastructure, transport development, urban planning... Unused land in 2013 was 10 ha, which was a good sign of the urbanization process in Binh Duong.

Binh Duong is a dynamic province in the Southern key economic zone. The development of industrialization, modernization and urbanization has led to the economic restructuring, land use restructuring. This process has affected deeply socio-economic and environmental field. Besides, strategic planning and urban development by 2020 with vision towards 2030 will entail the restructuring of land use in the future. Thus, the reasonable, economical, efficient land allocation and use will ensure short- and long-term benefits; and ecological environmental protection to meet the requirements of sustainable development must be concerned by all levels and departments.

Reported by P.Le – Translated by Ngoc Huynh