Binh Duong has been named a Top 7 Intelligent Community for three consecutive years. (Photo: congthuong.vn)

To be listed in the Top 7, a city must, first of all, meet 6 strict criteria set by the ICF: Connectivity-Broadband; Workforce; Innovation; Equality in Digital Access; Encouragement Support; and Sustainability.

This is the third straight year Binh Duong has been named a Top 7 Intelligent Community, on a par with smart cities of countries like the US, Canada, Brazil, and Australia.

Binh Duong has also been honored among the world’s Top 21 Intelligent Communities cities and regions (“Smart 21”) with its outstanding smart city development strategy 5 consecutive times.

All the results are attributed to Binh Duong’s consistent approach to smart city building. Binh Duong has defined a smart city as a dynamic, creative, and connected ecosystem in which every element is continuously innovated and optimized as opposed to being a city only applying advanced technology to address issues in traffic management or e-government.

With its specific action programs plus a positive response from all sectors, business communities, and local people, Binh Duong has thoroughly applied digital transformation and innovation to specific projects to become a smarter, better, and more livable place.

Pham Tuan Anh, Director of the Binh Duong Smart City Office, said since 2016 Binh Duong has always been steadfast in the model involving State, schools, and businesses to stimulate the transfer of knowledge in society.

The State, Tuan Anh took as an example, plays a constructive role while schools are in charge of creating outlets for research and development, searching for technology, and connecting science and entrepreneurs.

“This serves as a key in applying technology and creating value in society. The direction is consistent in the strategy of Binh Duong province and Binh Duong smart city as well, helping the locality maintain its ranking in the Smart 21 list for 5 consecutive years,” Tuan Anh concluded.

To date a digital and innovation ecosystem has been strongly developed in Binh Duong including a smart operating center, a Becamex business incubator, an advanced manufacturing center, and a World Trade Center, helping the locality connect with the trading centers of hundreds of countries around the world.

Binh Duong is implementing strategic development programs aimed at sustainable development targets.

They are promoting the use of clean and renewable energy and the application of technology in production and development of Industry 4.0, to create a greener, cleaner living environment, thus attracting tech firms, high quality human resources, and preparing for its leadership of the wider spread of Binh Duong’s socio-economic development model.

The World Trade Centre Binh Duong New City (WTC BDNC), a complex of facilities to attract international investors and partners to access the locality’s supply chain. (Photo: toquoc.vn)

Binh Duong is mobilizing all resources to successfully implement the Binh Duong Smart City development strategy until 2026, which is based on economic development, social progress, and green growth.

Director of the Binh Duong Smart City Office Pham Tuan Anh said, “Under the direction, first we’ll promote the development of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to help Binh Duong increase labor productivity based on innovation. Second, services will be promoted through its structural pillars to narrow the gap between industry, trade and services of Binh Duong.”

Binh Duong’ll continue to expand both hard and soft infrastructure that will connect Binh Duong to the region and the nation by applying international eco-industrial standards to ensure investment attraction, said Tuan Anh.

Developing Binh Duong as a smart city is a consistent policy and an inevitable path toward turning Binh Duong into a civilized urban area and one of the dynamic places of the southern key economic region.

With a series of breakthrough programs and projects plus a direction to outline a strategic planning vision, Binh Duong will continue to enhance added values for its economy while elevating the material and spiritual life of the locals.

It will facilitate the best conditions for businesses to run production and trading activities. This year Binh Duong province is targeting the ICF “Top 1” title.