Binh Duong Administrative Centre Building. The province has implemented the Binh Duong Smart City project since 2016 which always sticks to the concept of economic transformation towards innovation and digitisation. (Photo: VNA)

Binh Duong – Binh Duong is on the right track towards its goal of smart and sustainable development when focusing on innovation, shifting to modern industries with high added value, and investing in infrastructure, social housing and education, said a supervision delegation from the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF).

The delegation, led by John Jung, co-founder of ICF, made the assessment on September 7 at a working session with leaders of Binh Duong during their trip to the southern province to inspect the realisation of goals and proposed orientation in the coming time.

Jung said that putting people as the centre of development and prioritising serving people and the community in building Binh Duong Smart City is the right direction, adding that the ICF delegation is impressed with investment in constructing social housing in the locality. He hoped that more similar projects will be developed so that workers can live and work stably in the province.

The ICF co-founder suggested that the province should pay more attention to the transport system towards a smart urban model, create space for people's public activities and increase green space to make Binh Duong a place worth living, a place to attract and retain talent.

He also underlined the need to focus on environmental protection and using resources in a sustainable way, including managing water, energy, and waste efficiently. The ultimate goal is to promote community participation in decision-making and smart urban development, ensuring that the interests of all residents are taken into account, Jung continued.

For his part, Mai Hung Dung, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee said it’s an honour for the province to participate in IFC, adding that this is also an opportunity for Binh Duong to promote its image to 200 localities of many countries around the world that are IFC members.

The province’s leader said that Binh Duong will send a delegation to take part in the TOP 1 Intelligent Communities (Top 7) evaluation event scheduled to take place in New York in October.

Earlier in August, the ICF named Binh Duong among the top 7 Intelligent Communities (Top 7) for the third time in a row.

The title is expected to strengthen investors and businesses’ confidence in the locality, helping lure more foreign direct investment and high quality human resources, paving the way for its high technology service and industry development in the future.

Binh Duong has implemented the Binh Duong Smart City project since 2016 which always sticks to the concept of economic transformation towards innovation and digitisation.

The ICF is a global network that connects hundreds of cities and regions on the five continents for collaboration on economic development and for the exchange of expertise and information that drives progress. Through this network, it researches how Intelligent Communities use information and communications technology to build inclusive prosperity, solve social problems and enrich their quality of life.