Developing industrial belts associated with urban areas – services

[Binh Duong Newspaper] To develop sustainable industry, Binh Duong is adjusting the spatial distribution of industrial development. Accordingly, industrial zones will develop in connection with transportation belts to facilitate transportation and inter-regional connectivity, creating economic development momentum not only for Binh Duong but also for the entire Southeast region.

The infrastructure of industrial zones in Binh Duong is increasingly being perfected, with inter-regional connectivity, meeting the production and business requirements of both domestic and foreign enterprises.

Attracting Investment into Industrial Zones

To date, Binh Duong is one of the provinces with the highest urbanization rate in the country (85%), with 5 cities and modern, synchronous transportation infrastructure. Binh Duong is also one of the leading provinces in industrial production and attracting foreign direct investment.

To increase its competitiveness, Binh Duong is focusing on attracting investment into planned industrial zones (IZs). The province has planned nearly 20,000 hectares of new industrial land to form a new generation of industrial belts along the Ho Chi Minh City Beltway 4, the Ho Chi Minh City – Thu Dau Mot – Chon Thanh expressway, and National Highway 14 (passing through Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong, Tay Ninh, and Long An provinces). According to the plan, nearly 200 kilometers of expressways will pass through Binh Duong, connecting the airport, seaports, and creating new momentum and development space for the region.

According to investors, Binh Duong has a good vision for planning, with continuously developing and increasingly improving infrastructure. Specifically, Binh Duong plans economic, industrial, urban, and service corridors connected with transportation corridors linking the regions, such as Ring Road 3, Ring Road 4 of Ho Chi Minh City, and national highways passing through the province. The industrial zones will develop in connection with transportation belts to facilitate transportation and inter-regional connectivity, creating economic development momentum not only for Binh Duong but also for the entire Southeast region.

Mr. Nguyen Trung Tin, Head of Binh Duong Industrial Zones Authority, stated that by 2030, the province will invest in an additional 10 new industrial zones (IZs), including 2 IZs in Bac Tan Uyen District and Tan Uyen City, which will be invested in 2025, covering a total area of 1,000 hectares. Another 8 IZs in Bac Tan Uyen, Dau Tieng, and Phu Giao districts will be invested in by the end of 2030, with a total area of over 6,000 hectares.

Binh Duong aims to develop urban areas according to the TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) model and the industrial-urban-service complex model. Accordingly, the system of IZs will be located along transportation corridors and main highways, particularly along the Beltway 4 of Ho Chi Minh City and expressways connecting seaports and international airports, enhancing traffic connectivity and logistics.

Expanding Development Space

The policy of shifting industrial development to the northern part of the province has proven effective, helping localities in the north rapidly develop industry. In the near future, Binh Duong will continue to expand development space, moving industrial corridors to areas with more potential, such as Dau Tieng and Phu Giao.

The Binh Duong Provincial Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision towards 2050, clearly defines the strategy of relocating enterprises (Evs) from outside industrial zones and “resettling” factories, shifting them into green industrial zones in the northern part of the province, which has been specifically planned. Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuan, General Director of Becamex IDC, said this is a breakthrough direction to create new development space for Thu Dau Mot and Di An Cities. Traditional industrial development space will be planned and converted into space for science and technology development, high-quality services, and livable urban areas. This transition process will help Binh Duong attract significant resources to promote development, creating a dual growth effect. Especially, the “resettling enterprises and creating space for conversion” will naturally restructure the population structure, attracting new population groups to contribute more added value to the province’s socio-economic development.

Binh Duong is continuing to strongly implement the policy of relocating industrial zones to the north, expanding development space, and utilizing the best conditions to build new infrastructure to meet the province’s high-quality requirements.

According to leaders of the Department of Industry and Trade, the department is advising the provincial People’s Committee to build criteria for evaluating and identifying enterprises outside industrial zones and clusters in the southern area for conversion and relocation to industrial zones. Binh Duong is also developing policies to support enterprises in accordance with the law. These policies will focus on two main groups: enterprises that must relocate and those that are still eligible to operate but are encouraged to relocate. Policies to support workers include: cessation wage policies, job loss subsidies, and vocational training.

The policy of shifting industrial development to the northern part of the province has been effective, helping northern localities rapidly develop industry. Many large, modern industrial zones and clusters are being planned and built in Bau Bang, Phu Giao, Dau Tieng districts, contributing to creating a distinct urban face for these localities. Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuan stated that the successful implementation of the enterprise relocation project and urban restructuring in the south, along with the development of smart and ecological industries in the north, will provide a major boost to help Binh Duong attract resources to drive socio-economic development, adapt to overcome urbanization traps, environmental traps, and inequality traps.