Building Binh Duong into a modern, smart city

Final part: Establishing a global brand

With the support of Becamex IDC, Binh Duong province has been developing a smart city and an innovation region. The foundation of this smart city is built upon the Industrial - Service - Urban Complex, with Binh Duong New City as its central core. Becoming a smart city reflects the strong aspiration of generations of leaders and residents in the province to rise and thrive in the new era—the era of growth.

Building an innovation ecosystem

Visiting Binh Duong New City today, everyone can easily notice its modern, clean and well-planned urban image. The new urban areas are comprehensively developed with synchronized technical and social infrastructure, featuring an inter-regional transportation network. The innovation region’s urban space is anchored by the Administrative Center, alongside the Binh Duong Intelligent Operation Center (IOC). Meanwhile, the World Trade Center Binh Duong New City serves as an international trade hub, fostering technology exchange and hosting world-class exhibitions. This hub regularly holds exhibitions and showcases advancements in smart technology-driven industries and creative management, including artificial intelligence (AI), digital economy, green economy and circular economy—always with a human-centered approach. It is rapidly emerging as a key innovation destination in Southeast Asia…

In Binh Duong New City, a high-quality, internationally standardized education and training system is being developed, with Eastern International University as a prime example. The city is also establishing laboratories, experimental manufacturing facilities, startup support centers, a Lab 4.0 and a 16,000-square-meter experimental production workshop for production testing activities…

Under provincial Master Plan for the 2021–2030 period, with a vision to 2050 and the Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated December 22, 2024, on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, Binh Duong is accelerating the establishment of a centralized IT zone. This zone will serve as a strategic hub for attracting and supporting businesses in science, technology and digital transformation. Binh Duong is also expediting investment procedures for the construction of a 220-hectare Science and Technology Park. Here, a system of science and technology industrial parks and modern information technology parks will be developed that meet international standards to attract domestic and foreign investment. Binh Duong prioritizes investment attraction in key sectors, including software development and applications, IT and telecommunications services, research and development (R&D), IT talent training- development and green industries.

In the new phase, Binh Duong continues developing under the innovation region model, expanding industrial and urban spaces while integrating science and technology into production, management and social services. This approach fosters a new-generation ecosystem that drives the province’s socio-economic development. The province is also accelerating investment in upgrading and expanding broadband infrastructure across the province to ensure high-speed, high-quality information transmission for both residents and businesses.

Establishing a global brand

Binh Duong is developing its smart city based on the criteria set by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), including connectivity, human resources, innovation, digital equity, advocacy and sustainability. With the collective efforts of the local people and businesses, Binh Duong has successfully implemented strategic projects that have been highly recognized by the ICF. The province has been honored five consecutive times in the SMART 21 list, achieved Top 7 rankings for three times and most notably, secured the Top 1 position in the ICF rankings. This achievement serves as both an opportunity and a driving force for Binh Duong to build a smart city, balancing economic growth, social progress and green development. By placing people and businesses at the center, Binh Duong aims at fostering shared prosperity—both for the local community and for Vietnam as a whole—in this new era of global advancement.

Nguyen Viet Long, Director of provincial Department of Science and Technology stated that achieving Top 1 in the ICF rankings is an opportunity for Binh Duong to connect, promote and showcase the province’s potential and strengths, further elevating its global brand. More importantly, this achievement fosters unity and pride among the people, reinforcing the significance of the Intelligent Community title that Binh Duong has worked tirelessly to attain. However, Binh Duong views this milestone not as an endpoint, but as the beginning of a new journey—one that is more dynamic, innovative and progressive.

John Jung, co-founder of the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) affirmed that developing a smart city and actively participating in international organizations like ICF has significantly enhanced Binh Duong’s global presence. He emphasized that the Binh Duong Smart City project is a model with immense potential. The clearest proof of its success is the province’s ability to attract numerous investors and major global corporations, solidifying Binh Duong’s position as a thriving hub for innovation and economic growth.

As a dynamic and rapidly developing province of Vietnam, Binh Duong has been actively fostering bilateral and multilateral cooperation with international localities and organizations to drive socio-economic development, enhance competitiveness and proactively integrate into the global economy. Additionally, Binh Duong has successfully hosted numerous high-profile international conferences, leaving a lasting impression on policians and partners. As a result, the province’s reputation continues rising, gaining widespread recognition and significantly promoting its image in the international arena. This has helped solidify Binh Duong’s brand internationally, attracting partners to establish stronger relationships with Binh Duong.

Nguyen Loc Ha, Permanent Vice Secretary of provincial Party Committee emphasized that in the new development phase, amidst the strong wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digital transformation across all sectors, innovation and the application of science and technology—especially emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, the Internet of Things and automation—will serve as powerful driving forces reshaping industries and society worldwide. He highlighted that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation will play a crucial role in this transformation. Therefore, in this new development phase, provincial leaders consistently prioritize and encourage the proactive implementation of solutions to stay ahead of Industry 4.0 trends. This includes expanding various service sectors, focusing on the development of high-quality human resources, building sustainable urban areas that balance economic growth with social progress and green development.

In the coming time, Binh Duong will optimize its existing data center and establish a large-scale, green-standard data center to ensure seamless connectivity, integrated data systems and mutual backup capabilities, aiming at driving the growth of the big data industry and enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Reported by Phuong Le-Translated by Kim Tin