The "smart village" model has been playing an important role in the new-style rural construction program in Binh Duong province, creating a fresh and vibrant image for rural areas across the province.
Countryside getting thriving
Returning to Bach Dang commune in Tan Uyen city, visitors can witness many spacious, multi-story houses built along solid, wide, and clean concrete roads lined with beautiful flowers on both sides. Security camera systems have been installed along major roads in the commune while red flags with yellow stars flutter in the breeze, reflecting the vibrant atmosphere and new vitality of a revitalized rural area.
After being recognized as an "advanced new-style rural commune" in 2019, Bach Dang commune has continued promoting unity, mobilizing community strength and tirelessly improving the quality of new-style rural criteria. In 2022, the People's Committee of Tan Uyen town (now Tan Uyen city) approved a project on "Building a model new-style rural commune for the 2021-2025 period” in association with the pilot implementation of the "smart village" model in Bach Dang. In 2024, Bach Dang became one of the province’s first four communes to successfully achieve the model new-style rural commune status. Currently, Bach Dang has 79 roads paved with hot-mix asphalt or gravel and green tree systems. The newly constructed Bach Dang 2 Bridge connects the commune synchronously with the urban areas of Tan Uyen, Thu Dau Mot and Dong Nai province’s Bien Hoa, ensuring cohesion between rural development and green urbanization.
Moreover, Bach Dang commune has invested in LED lighting systems along three main roads and Bach Dang Bridge with 266 light bulbs; installed security cameras at key intersections and provided free Wi-Fi at public places for residents. Today, the commune achieves a 100% rate of waste collection, treatment and 100% of households have access to clean water that meets national standards. There are two cooperatives and two cooperative groups operating stably in the commune. In 2024, the average per capita income of the local people reached nearly VND 90 million.
Being proud to be a citizen of a model new-style rural commune in association with the pilot implementation of the "smart village", Ngo Thi Minh Lan, residing in Bach Dang commune’s Binh Hung hamlet shared: “Bach Dang used to be a purely agricultural commune where most residents relied on vegetable, rice and fruit cultivation. Life was once difficult, agricultural production was fragmented, cultural recreational and conditions were limited while transportation relies on boats and ferries... Since implementing the new-style rural development program, Bach Dang has achieved model new-style rural standards in terms of culture, I can clearly feel daily changes, especially well-developed infrastructure on electricity works, roads, schools, stations and many cultural institutions that have been invested in and built in a solid manner. Many households voluntarily donated land to open roads, improve their house courtyards, build fences and beautify villages. Local residents also actively participated in cooperative groups cultivating pomelo and producing organic rice...They are delighted with positive changes in their homeland”.
Towards smart rural areas
Binh Duong has successfully implemented the model new-style rural commune for the 2021-2025 period in association with the pilot development of a "smart village" in Tan Uyen city’s Bach Dang commune, aiming at enhancing the quality of new-style rural criteria and creating strong transformations in economic and cultural core values for the people. Under the pilot project, Phu Giao district is also developing a "smart village" project focusing on such key aspects as smart governance, smart resources, smart infrastructure, smart services and smart production and business.
According to Associate Professor Dr. Ngo Thi Phuong Lan, Principal of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh city, achievements in agricultural economic development over the past years have laid a solid foundation for Phu Giao district to implement the "smart village" model. The goal is to develop smart rural communes with creativity and innovation towards sustainable rural development. Besides, advantages in high-tech agricultural production and natural-cultural tourism resources provide Phu Giao with opportunities to develop high-tech agricultural tourism. Developing high-tech agricultural tourism based on the "smart village" model will pave the way for setting standards for smart new-style rural communes.
Van Quang Chinh, Vice Chairman of Phu Giao district’s People's Committee emphasized that building a “smart village” to create a place for initiatives on practical issues in life. Phu Giao is gradually implementing the "smart village" model to revitalize rural areas and improve the economic and cultural life of its people. In the future, these areas are expected to become worth-living, environmentally friendly places and serve as one of Binh Duong’s green symbols.
Nguyen Thi Thuy Phuong from the Mekong Institute of Application and Technology stressed the crucial role of community engagement in implementing "smart villages". Building a smart village is towards the goal of a smart countryside by applying technology and advanced technical solutions in agricultural production, contributing to improving rural residents’quality of life. Farmers must be trained to become professional ones, willing to enrich themselves and the community through agricultural production and business.
Additionally, building a 'smart village' involves creating a network connected with educational institutions in such fields as agriculture, e-commerce, digital tourism, food industries, etc., to bring students from Binh Duong studying at universities back to support local people and connect with real-life practices. This will help younger generations develop a deeper love for agriculture, rural areas and farmers while also participating in researching and proposing innovative solutions together with farmers... A specialized research plan should be developed to build a unique agricultural tourism program for the village in the direction of smart tourism, aiming at activating the multi-value potential in the development of a “smart village” in association with building a model new-style rural area in Binh Duong.
Currently, all 38 communes in Binh Duong have achieved "advanced new-style rural" standards, with 4 communes reaching "model new rural" ones. In these communes, people's material and spiritual lives have been improved significantly, with employment opportunities expanded, poor houses seeing rapid decrease in number and rural image become vibrant and prosperous.
Under the pilot implementation of the project to build a “smart village” in association with model new-style rural areas, Binh Duong is synchronously carrying out two tasks, including bringing the core values of building model new-style rural areas and the construction of “smart villages” closer to the lives of the people.
Reported by Thoai Phuong-Thanh Tuyen-Translated by Kim Tin
