"Leverage" for Binh Duong to develop

Part 1: Having great expectations on new impulses

Sincerely acknowledging the objective and comprehensive assessments of provincial leaders over periods, experts and scientists, Binh Duong province has further promoted its strengths and overcomed shortcomings along with proposals for the local development orientations, building Binh Duong into a smart, civilized and modern city with sentimental attachment.

Synchronize planning for corresponding development

Binh Duong's development goal by 2030, with a vision to 2050, is determined to become a modern urban, industrial and service area with regional and international stature; is one of the locomotives promoting national economic development with the main growth driving force being industry, services, innovation, with a solid economic base, high competitive power, people with high income levels, economic development that is inclusive and harmonious across regions. The development strategy for the period of 2021-2030 has focused on developing regional connectivity, building smart cities, innovation areas, business restructuring policies and developing cross-border e-commerce, forming up urban industrial and service complexes.

To create a new breakthrough in the next period, Binh Duong has signed many programs on human resource training and scientific research. In picture: Leaders of the Academy of Politics Region II, provincial School of Politics, Department of Science and Technology sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation

According to experts and scientists, to achieve the above mentioned goal, Binh Duong needs a master plan, determining the local development model in the coming period and a vision to 2050. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Politburo, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics said: "The province’s draft planning for the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 defines the direction of spatial organization of Binh Duong territory to become an Innovation Zone with structure: 1 development axis, 2 ecological corridors, 3 connecting belts and 5 development zones, promoting links with localities in the Southeastern region, with Ho Chi Minh City, connecting the Central Highlands – Southwestern regions. In the coming time, Binh Duong needs to plan for urban infrastructure development, through provincial planning to further perfect and upgrade the industrial - urban - service park model to a higher level, gradually escaping the growth model that is intensive in terms of capital, land and low-skilled laborers.

Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi also said that Binh Duong needs a master plan, clearly defining the local development model in the coming period and a vision to 2050. The province’s urban development in the period needs to be associated with dynamic traffic projects, forming up a service urban chain under the TOD model associated with railway projects (Di An - Loc Ninh; Suoi Tien - Thu Dau Mot - Bau Bang), the project of North-South expressway from Ho Chi Minh City - Chon Thanh, forming up modern industrial and service urban space along the belt roads 3, 4...

Being proactive to make breakthrough, innovation

Binh Duong's mark of industrialization and modernization is one of the levels of success in the innovation period. In the coming time, the province's development form and economic structure will move to a new stage - the post-industrial development stage while industry currently accounts for nearly three quarters of Binh Duong's economy.

Binh Duong new city is methodically planned, creating civilized and modern urban space

According to Prof. Dr. Tran Tho Dat, Chairman of the Council of Professors of Economics, Binh Duong is facing the middle-income trap. The province must have a pioneering industry to remove this barrier and create a new impetus for growth in labor productivity, efficiency and competitiveness of the economy. That pioneering industry must be the spearhead one leading digital and green growth.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, Member of the Central Theoretical Council, former President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences also said that in the coming period, Binh Duong province must promote its potential and comparative advantages in the new context and conditions best. There must be a strongly transition to a development model based on science - technology and innovation. Science - technology and high-quality human resources must be a breakthrough in pioneering development, exploiting and taking advantage of green, smart and modern development trends to attract quality investment resources.

Experts and scientists all believe that in order to overcome the middle-income trap and develop sustainably, Binh Duong needs to further determine that modern industrialization must be based on science and technology, innovation and utilization of good opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution to have a breakthrough and rise in a number of industries and fields. (to be continued)

*Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Politburo, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, Director of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics: The process of promoting industrialization and urbanization has brought outstanding marks in Binh Duong's development miracle. However, the province is also facing many difficulties and challenges. The province needs to overcome the mentality of being satisfied with the achieved success. And more importantly, the province has to overcome the “productivity trap" and "middle income trap" in the post-industrial development period. This requires greater efforts because picking sweet fruits from high branches will be much more difficult. In the development context of the world, the region and country are facing many challenges.

*Dr. Tran Du Lich: For more sustainable development, Binh Duong needs to proactively coordinate with Ho Chi Minh city in building a connected traffic system. Among them, priority should be given to infrastructure projects such as the belt roads 3 and 4, Ho Chi Minh city - Chon Thanh expressway…to be completed as soon as possible. Especially, the province needs to soon develop an urban railway system to connect Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh city, Dong Nai, Long Thanh airport to ports. If Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh city can build a riverside road from Ho Chi Minh City to Thu Dau Mot City, it will form an extremely beautiful riverside urban chain in the future, which is a breakthrough for tourism, making Binh Duong get a "jewel". If we can do so, I believe that Binh Duong will accelerate the local development in the period of 2026-2035 and escape the middle income trap by 2035.

Reported by Ngoc Thanh-Translated by Kim Tin