Synchronous infrastructure towards smart city

Over the past 25 years, Binh Duong was proactive to build up a synchronous and modern infrastructure system with regional connectivity, promoting the local socio-economic development. In order to create a breakthrough and participate in international economic integration, the province has developed sustainably towards a smart, civilized and modern city in the new period.

Focusing on infrastructure investment

In the period of 1997 and 2000, Binh Duong prioritized investment in building industrial parks (IPs), choosing industrial manufacture for breakthrough and development. The formation of the Ips has attracted and promoted various services, formed up new urban areas and changed the local urban image. In addition to the development of concentrated IPs, the province mobilized investment resources to develop the local infrastructure system in terms of traffic, electricity, communication, water supply and drainage to create a driving force for socio-economic development. By 2000, 80% of roads in all communes, wards and townships were covered with asphalt. The results achieved in this period have created an important premise for the local period of accelerating industrialization, modernization and urbanization.

Over the past 25 years, Binh Duong was proactive to build a synchronous and modern infrastructure with regional connectivity towards building Binh Duong smart city. In picture: Binh Duong new city will become the center of the smart city

In the new development period from 2000 to 2021, one of the province’s overarching goals was to carry out planning and construction with the orientation of developing Binh Duong into a modern, civilized, rich and beautiful city. In order to realize the target, the province has focused on building up a synchronous traffic infrastructure system, ensuring connectivity with the national transport system and localities in the Southern Key Economic Zone.

Specifically, the province invested in building the My Phuoc - Tan Van express way connecting with the National Highway 1A, Ho Chi Minh city, Binh Phuoc province; provincial roads such as DT744 connecting Binh Duong province with Tay Ninh province, DT741 connecting Binh Duong province with Binh Phuoc province, North Tan Uyen - Phu Giao - Bau Bang street connecting the northern districts of the province with Dong Phu district in Binh Phuoc province; bridge over Dong Nai river...Besides, many large-scale Ips have been formed up across the province. Many spacious, solid residential and high-rise urban areas have also been built. In addition, the province has focused on implementing programs, schemes and projects on urban development and technical infrastructure, contributing to upgrading the local technical infrastructure system, improving the local people's quality of life, creating a driving force for the local investment attraction and socio-economic development.

Smart city, innovation region

Binh Duong is one of the Southern Key Economic Zone’s core localities. In order to further promote advantages, creating a thrust for the regional development, sustainable steps with a new shape in the future, the province decided to invest in building Binh Duong Industrial - Service - Urban Complex with the foundation of being the development of Ips, residential areas and high-class services with a total area of ​​4,196 hectares. In 2004, Binh Duong Industrial - Service - Urban Complex was commenced for construction under the approved plan with a synchronous and modern technical infrastructure system. Possibly speaking, this was a strategic step of the province, a highlight in implementing a model on industrial development to create a driving force for urban development and vice versa, urban construction and development in order to create social stability so that people in and out of the province can live, work, study and have a long attachment with the province.

The Binh Duong new city project is located in the middle of the Industrial - Service - Urban Complex with a scale of 1,000 ha, which was started for construction in 2010. The new city is built towards civilization and modernity with main items, such as: integrated administration center, park, central lake, community sports center, convention and exhibition center, international university... After 4 years of focusing on investment and construction, its main items was basically completed in 2014. This place is the "brain and heart", the political - economic - cultural center of Binh Duong province. The new city is the nucleus of a modern, dynamic and sustainable Binh Duong city in the future with a full range of services and a synchronous infrastructure system closely connected with neighboring provinces and cities.

Entering the period of 2016, Binh Duong made a breakthrough once again, determining to carry out the transition from traditional manufacturing to economy with higher added value, high-tech manufacturing and services, application of the linkage model between farmers, the State and enterprises to create a premise to reach digital economy towards smart city construction. In order to further expand its Smart City project, the province has implemented the "Binh Duong Innovation Region" project with the new city as the central urban area. The project is expected to create the leverage for the province to promote and build the foundation for an innovation ecosystem towards sustainable innovation culture; further participate in major economic organizations in the world, thereby upgrading the local current production, gradually increasing the proportion of digital economy in the local economy.

An indispensable factor in the Binh Duong Innovation Region is the formation of a sci-tech IP. This is a breakthrough in the local industrial production with fundamental infrastructure for the formation of an innovation ecosystem, attracting investment with high added value, creating a premise for high-tech production. Especially in the sci-tech IP, the World Trade Center Binh Duong New City  is being invested and built and the project of the cross-border e-commerce center will be started soon in the near future, creating a "push" in the local modern urban development, smart city construction.

Over the past years, Binh Duong continuously promoted the expansion of global cooperation, joining many prestigious associations in the world such as the World Smart Community Forum (ICF), the Asian Economic Cooperation Forum (Horasis), the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA)... For 3 consecutive years from 2018 to 2020, Binh Duong Smart Zone was honored among the top 21 by ICF, especially it was among the top 7 areas with the world’s typical smart city development strategies in 2021. These are important premises for Binh Duong to make socio-economic breakthroughs, bringing the local brand to the international level and successfully build a smart city. (To be continued)

Nguyen Loc Ha, member of provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice-Chairman of provincial People's Committee: The province has determined the priority of investment in transport infrastructure to pave the way for economic development. During the past 25 years, many important transport programs and projects with national and regional connectivity have brought into full play their effectiveness. The local industrial infrastructure system has continued being perfected, gradually investing in the model of sci-tech Ip to meet development requirements in the new period. The province has focused on urban infrastructure development under the smart city development strategy with diverse capital sources and investment forms, making the local urban space being expanded increasingly.

Reportedly, Binh Duong had 1 first-class city  (Thu Dau Mot), 4 second-class cities (Thuan An, Di An, Ben Cat, Tan Uyen); 3 cities (Thu Dau Mot, Thuan An, Di An), 2 towns (Ben Cat, Tan Uyen) by the end of 2020. The urbanization rate of the province in 2020 reached 82%.

Reported by Phuong Le-Translated by Kim Tin