Bình Dương, Southeast, Vietnam

🇻🇳 Thủ Dầu Một, Bình Dương Province.

Bình Dương is a province of Vietnam. It is located in the Southeast region of the country and the Southern Key Economic Zone 2, bordering Bình Phước province to the north, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to the south and south-west, Tây Ninh province to the west, and Đồng Nai province to the east. The province was created from Sông Bé province on 1 January 1997.

Bình Dương is considered to be the gateway to HCMC, the economic cultural centre of the country. Endowed with convenient geography conditions, Bình Dương has an extremely important road network. Major highways of the country cross Bình Dương such as National Road (NR) no. 13, NR no. 14, the HCMC Route and the Trans-Asian Highway. Bình Dương is only 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 mi) from Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and important ports. All of the advantages create favourable conditions to achieve social and economic development.

Economy The area is considered to be good cropland, and agriculture is an important industry in the province. Bình Dương is also home to a significant manufacturing industry, and in the first half of 2004, the province had the second highest levels of foreign investment in Vietnam. Nike, Adidas, H&M and McDonald's have set up factories to manufacture goods they sell locally and abroad in the province. The southern Dĩ An and Thuận An wards are highly urbanised and are now encompassed within the Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area.

In the first half of 2018, foreign investment in Bình Dương totaled US$850 million, more than 60% of the target. Since 2016, the province has attracted US$5.7 billion worth of FDI. At its current growth rate, Bình Dương will exceed the target of US$7 billion set for its 5-year plan until 2020. In 2019, Bình Dương has targeted a GRDP of 8.4–8.6% and a per capita income of VND140 million (more than US$6,030).

Thủ Dầu Một is the economic and administrative centre of Bình Dương province. Located in the southern key economic region and the Ho Chi Minh City region, Thủ Dầu Một lies on HCM City's radial arterial road and the HCM City-Thủ Dầu Một-Chơn Thành Expressway. The administration of Thủ Dầu Một has exerted efforts to increase the proportion of services and industry in the city.

Japan is currently the largest foreign investor among 64 countries and territories investing in the southern province of Bình Dương with 304 valid projects worth nearly US$5.7 billion.

List of Bình Dương's industrial cluster and industrial parks: • Vietnam – Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) • Việt Hương 1, 2 Industrial Park • Thới Hoà Industrial Park • Tân Đông Hiệp A and B Industrial Parks • Sóng Thần 1, 2 and 3 Industrial Parks • Rạch Bắp Industrial Park • Nam Tân Uyên Industrial Park • Mỹ Phước 1, 2 and 3 Industrial Parks • Mai Trung Industrial Park • Ascendas – Protrade Industrial Park • Kim Huy Industrial Park • Tân Bình industrial Park • Đông An 1 and 2 Industrial Parks • Phú Gia Industrial Park • Bầu Bàng Industrial Park • Bình An Industrial Park • Bình Dương Industrial Park • Đại Đăng Industrial Park • Đất Cuốc Industrial Park • Thanh An Industrial cluster • Uyên Hưng Industrial cluster • Tân Mỹ Industrial cluster • Beautiful City Industrial cluster • Phú Chánh Industrial cluster • Tân Đông Hiệp Industrial cluster • Bình Chuẩn Industrial cluster • An Thạnh industrial cluster

Tourist Industry As one of the important elements, the system of cultural institutions has received development at the same time as main works in Bình Dương New City. Speeding up investment in cultural institutions in the new city has helped the local residents and tourists to have more selections for their entertainment demand. Over the past 5 years, Bình Dương's tourism sector has reached stable growth with an annual average increase of 17% in revenue and 0.5% in the number of tourists. The Provincial People's Committee is actively implementing projects on eco-tourism and traditional craft village tourism development along with Đồng Nai province to bring into full play and preserve the local historical and cultural features. Between 2016 and 2020, the tourism sector will strive to account for around 27.2% of the local economic structure. The province will focus on effectively tapping geographic advantages. Some tourist potentials include diversifying tourism types and tourism promotion activities and strengthening tourism co-operation with HCM city and other localities in the region. Bình Dương is now home to eco-tourism zones, historical-cultural relics together with traditional craft villages on things such as lacquer, pottery and wooden shoes.

According to VOV, eight must-visit places in Bình Dương (mainly in Thủ Dầu Một) are: • Phú An bamboo village (Bến Cát) • Bình Dương New City Park (Thủ Dầu Một) • Hội Khánh Temple (Thủ Dầu Một) • Phú Cường Cathedral (Thủ Dầu Một) • Tay Tang Pagoda (Thủ Dầu Một) • Đại Nam Văn Hiến (Thủ Dầu Một) • Thủy Châu tourist site (Dĩ An) • Wind and Water Cafe (Thủ Dầu Một).