Binh Duong asserts its brand in int’l arena

With a correct, consistent and solid strategy in the process of building up a smart city, Binh Duong has obtained many positive results, affirming its brand in the international arena. Binh Duong Smart City - Innovation Region has just been honored by the Intellectual Community Forum (ICF) with the highest award of 2023 -the ICF Top 1 communities with the world's typical smart city development strategy.

Strategic breakthrough

On March 28, 2016, Binh Duong motivated the Smart City project with the Triple Helix concept as the center. The strategic project aims at laying the foundation for the first high-tech manufacturing and service sectors and smart urban-oriented planning, leading to the progress for the knowledge-based economy. In a bid to build up a smart city, Binh Duong has applied its own approach, deviating from the common view that a smart city only takes advantage of technology to solve social problems. From Binh Duong's perspective, a smart city is a dynamic, creative and well-connected ecosystem in which all entities are constantly improved and optimized.

John Jung, co-founder of the ICF pays a visit to provincial IOC in August 2023

In the process of building up a smart city, Binh Duong has initially gained many positive results, creating a breakthrough in economic development. Particularly, Binh Duong has had the highest per capita income in the country, ranked second nationwide in FDI attraction for many years and reached the country’s 4th highest total domestic revenue in 2022.

The whole province has so far attracted over 65,000 enterprises, including more than 4,100 FDI ones with nearly US$ 40 billion, with 29 well-built industrial parks. With the local open, transparent government plus an attractive business climate, Binh Duong ranked second in the Viet Nam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) in 2022. The province has also maintained the annual GRDP growth rate from 9% - 15% for many consecutive years.  Many urban areas have been built to meet the needs of growing population and businesses.

Especially, Binh Duong is in a highly educated area of ​​the whole country. As of 2022, the whole province had a total of 8 universities, 8 vocational colleges, 16 vocational schools and 45 vocational training centers. Since 2016, the province has set up an innovation ecosystem, including a network of Techlabs, Fablabs, Production and Innovation Centers and start-up establishments. To date, a network of Techlabs and Fablabs has been developed and it is being deployed across sites in universities and vocational colleges in the close coordination with industrial partners and with support from provincial Department of Science and Technology. A series of Techlabs, comprising of smart lighting labs, ICT labs, robotics and intelligent systems labs, data analysis and artificial intelligence labs...have been established.

In the period of 2022-2026, the Binh Duong Smart City project will further focus on investment with clear goals while pursuing its overall goals to build up a high value-added economy based on in-depth knowledge, with stronger focus on digital economy and digital society.

Named in ICF Top 1 2023

Over the past years, Binh Duong took lead in public-private partnerships and international cooperation, gradually developing arterial roads and industrial parks that meet international standards. The province has so far become members of many international organizations, namely the World Technopolis Association (WTA), World Trade Centers Association (WTC), Intelligent Community Forum (ICF).

Mai Hung Dung, Member of provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice-Chairman of provincial People's Committee speaks at the ceremony honoring Binh Duong in the ICF Top 1 2023

Under its major breakthrough strategies, including the Binh Duong Innovation Zone project which is the focus of the Smart City project in the new development phase, Binh Duong has been honored by the ICF five times in a row as Smart21. From 2021 to 2023, Binh Duong has been named in the list of Top 7 communities with the world’s typical smart city development strategies. Especially, on October 26, Binh Duong smart city-Innovation Region has just been honored by the Intellectual Community Forum (ICF) with the highest award of 2023 -the ICF Top 1 communities with the world's typical smart city development strategy in New York city of the US.

Speaking at the honoring ceremony, Lou Zacharilla, co-founder of the ICF said: “We have witnessed an important moment for ICF, the first smart community in Vietnam to be honored as a Smart Community of year. Binh Duong has methodically implemented the ICF's Community Development Strategy when participating in the annual awards. Binh Duong is a great example of the power of teamwork, focusing on a clear, persistent strategy and passionate dedication to creating a place that honors its people and is part of a nation in the process of preparing conditions for its citizens to adapt to the changes of the 21st century

Reported by Phuong Le-Translated by Kim Tin