Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Park J.V. Co. (VSIP) on Saturday signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) with nine Vietnamese provinces to develop smart and sustainable industrial parks (IPs).

VSIP is a joint venture between Becamex IDC Corporation, under the People’s Committee of Binh Duong, just outside Ho Chi Minh City, and Sembcorp Development Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore’s Sembcorp Industries, a leading energy and urban solution provider.

The signing ceremony was part of the 'Binh Duong: Initiation - Connection - New Development' program, attended by Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai, leaders of ministries, agencies and localities, and hundreds of investors.

It was also an expansion of a broader MOU between Becamex and Sembcorp Development inked during Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s state visit to Singapore early last month.

Smart and sustainable IPs will be considered in nine provinces, including Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, Thai Binh, and Nam Dinh, based on the VSIP model in Binh Duong.

Deputy PM Khai hailed the green industrial park model, the association of industrial development with urban areas and services, and the synchronicity of traffic and social infrastructure in Binh Duong Province.

This helps Binh Duong, together with Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provinces, become key pillars of the southern key economic zone and contribute significantly to the state budget and Vietnam’s development.

The deputy prime minister asked the nine provinces to learn from Binh Duong’s experience in developing Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks in the coming time, especially in site clearance to prevent complaints and lawsuits and ensure benefits for enterprises, the state, and local residents.

Vo Van Minh, chairman of the Binh Duong People’s Committee, said the province would cooperate closely with the nine provinces and accompany investors and enterprises to develop industrial park projects soon.

They will jointly mull over the conversion from IPs in association with urban areas and services to smart service urban areas, enhance the application of science and technology to increase the added values of products, and bring practical benefits to enterprises and residents.

Earlier on the same day, Deputy PM Khai and his governmental delegation visited the VSIP 1 in Thuan An City, Binh Duong Province. This is the first VSIP which was developed in 1996 and covers an area of 500 hectares.

VSIP last month obtained approval from the Vietnamese government to set up its second IP in the north-central province of Nghe An, or its 13th IP in Vietnam.

Among the 12 operating VSIPs, three are located in Binh Duong and the remaining facilities are in Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Quang Ngai, and Can Tho, among others.

These industrial parks, with a total area of more than 10,000 hectares, have attracted about US$18.4 billion in investment from 882 investors from 30 countries and territories, and created jobs for around 288,000 workers.

The Binh Duong People’s Committee on Saturday also handed over investment certificates to enterprises.

In the year to March 15, the province attracted $437 million in foreign direct investment, raising the total foreign investment so far in the province to $39.7 billion, poured into nearly 4,100 projects.

The province also concluded cooperation agreements with large domestic firms, such as Deo Ca, Sungroup and FPT, to develop infrastructure, hospitality tourism, and digital transformation.

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