Faced with the development of science and technology and new business and trade models, Binh Duong is determined to continue to make breakthroughs, bringing the Smart City project to a higher level of development as an innovation zone, creating a new driving force to promote socio -economic development.

Smart solution

Binh Duong province, with the support of the Industrial Investment and Development Corporation (Becamex IDC), has implemented the Smart City project since 2016 and has always closely followed the requirements of economic transformation towards innovation and digitalization. The province has built the foundation of the Smart City from the "leverage" of the urban-service-industrial complex with a strategic role next to the core of the new urban area of ​​Binh Duong. Up to now, the Smart City project has shaped and directly participated in solving many existing challenges of the province such as: Narrowing the gap between industry and trade, services, releasing pressure on urban planning and traffic infrastructure, developing human resources... Answering the question: What has Binh Duong gained after the time of building the Smart City? The answer is that Binh Duong was voted by the World Intelligent Community Organization into the top 21 cities with typical smart development strategies for 5 consecutive years. At the same time, Binh Duong also entered the top 7 3 times in a row with cities of advanced countries such as: Canada, Brazil, Australia...

Buildings in the central area of ​​Binh Duong New City are operated with smart solutions. Photo: HA LONG

Talking to us, Dr. Pham Tuan Anh, Director of Binh Duong Smart City Office, confided: “Binh Duong and Becamex IDC have built solution sets and smart city and smart industrial park products and services on the basis of implementing the process of self-mastering technological solutions. Thereby, deploying them into practice for application in the development process, helping the province upgrade its own infrastructure, strongly supporting investors to gradually transform the development model from labor-intensive to knowledge-intensive and technology-intensive”.

According to Dr. Pham Tuan Anh, Binh Duong is proud to have built the "Beca smart city platform". From there, it has developed smart solutions with its own brand such as: Smart wastewater treatment plants, smart street lights, smart security cameras, smart parking lots, smart operations management... The above solutions practically create a smart, green, clean, and environmentally friendly living environment to attract technology enterprises and high-quality human resources. These are the first "bricks" for the process of self-mastering technology solutions and practical implementation by enterprises in the province.

As a specific demonstration of the smart building management solution at the World Trade Center of Binh Duong New City, Dr. Pham Tuan Anh said that the main task of this application is to provide a centralized management and operation platform. All building operation data is aggregated and transmitted via 2D, 3D, and digital twin interfaces to help managers have full information and data to operate the building. Thereby, aiming to build an environmentally friendly building and maximize savings on resources and operating costs.

Coming to Binh Duong New City, we will feel the spacious, clean, green and friendly urban appearance. The new urban areas are all invested in synchronous technical infrastructure and social infrastructure with inter-regional and inter-regional traffic connections. The urban space of the Innovation Zone with the administrative center building, the Binh Duong New City World Trade Center, and the Becamex IDC building become symbols, bearing the unique dynamic and creative mark of Binh Duong. Inside, activities are operated with smart solutions. The province also put into operation the Binh Duong Smart Monitoring and Operation Center in 22 fields with more than 600 indicators to serve people and businesses.

From the construction of the Smart City, Binh Duong has drawn up a 5-layer model of the Binh Duong Innovation Zone project including: Urban planning and public transport infrastructure, building an innovation culture, balanced economic development, digital transformation and industry 4.0 development, human resource development. In addition, the digital and innovation ecosystem is being strongly developed in Binh Duong such as: Becamex Business Incubator, Advanced Manufacturing Center, Binh Duong World Trade Center, modern Fab labs (manufacturing laboratories)... have been and are meeting the needs of businesses and people, bringing an increasingly smarter life.

According to Dr. Ngo Minh Duc, Principal of Eastern International University, when building the Smart City, Binh Duong has invested heavily in technology infrastructure, large data centers that meet international standards, practice laboratories on 4.0 technology, sample production lines with cooperation from major technology companies in the world... at Eastern International University. Thereby, providing means to help convert new ideas, transfer and apply technology into real life.

Green ecosystem in smart city

To meet the increasing demands of building a smart city, Binh Duong and Becamex IDC have been developing a new type of ecosystem, supplementing the previous industrial-urban-service model. That is the innovation and science-technology ecosystem, building smart industrial parks, smart, green, sustainable cities. The province is moving towards building industrial parks associated with science and technology to attract industries with high added value, contributing to bringing Binh Duong's industry to a higher segment in the global value chain.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuan, General Director of Becamex IDC said: "Becamex IDC will accompany Binh Duong to create new soft infrastructure for the province. That is the infrastructure for research and development of new production means, a scientific working environment to attract intellectual human resources to participate in the process of converting the outsourcing production ecosystem to an ecosystem of research, development and technology mastery. Becamex IDC cooperates with the World Bank to research and develop a new generation of smart eco-industrial parks, first of all in Bau Bang district. Thereby, moving towards a generation of concentrated and automated, self-propelled and sustainable industrial development for the province and the Southeast region".

To build a green ecosystem and make a breakthrough in building smart cities, Binh Duong is transforming the operation of Becamex IDC's industrial parks into smart industrial parks, a green and sustainable industrial ecosystem. This system of industrial parks will apply Binh Duong's smart solutions and will be controlled and monitored at the Becamex Smart Operations Center in Binh Duong New City. Recently, a member unit of Becamex IDC signed a cooperation agreement with partner NTT Data (a member of NTT Group - Japan) in deploying solutions for applying smart cities and smart industrial parks. Thereby, aiming to help Binh Duong enterprises master technology and comprehensive and sustainable smart city solutions.

The action plan to implement the Binh Duong Smart City project for the period of 2022-2026 has clearly stated that "green growth" and sustainability are the keys to socio-economic development. The breakthrough process of building a Smart City and an innovation zone of Binh Duong is determined to go through two phases. In which, phase 1 is to build new and upgrade existing industrial parks into green, smart industrial parks with the ability to provide a 4.0 technology platform, helping investors deploy smart factory models and smart production quickly and effectively. Phase 2 is to develop industrial parks associated with science and technology to attract domestic and foreign institutes and schools, research and development activities and innovation, service industries, and digital services.

According to Mr. Mai Hung Dung, Permanent Vice Chairman of Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee, Head of Binh Duong Smart City Management Board, the province always strives to become a center and driving force for regional connectivity, continuing to be a pioneering local model in efforts to overcome the middle-income trap and develop sustainably towards smart urban areas. The Smart City Management Board and relevant agencies of the province coordinate with Becamex IDC to focus on promoting key projects of the Smart City project, determined to complete and synchronize the database of each industry; in which, focusing on digital transformation, innovative startups, and building ecological industrial parks.

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HONG GIANG