Binh Duong is a province with an innovative tradition. Since 1997, the province has strongly industrialized, from an agriculture-based economy to be a large industrial area in Vietnam. In 2015, facing the 4.0 trend, the explosion of science and technology with many new challenges and opportunities [1], at the same time, the growth model based on the processing industry has reached a tipping point, Binh Duong decided breakthrough, in the period of 2016-2020, a new development platform will be built, meeting the new demand of people and businesses.

The Binh Duong Smart City project was born in that situation. Cooperated with the twin town - Eindhoven (the Netherlands) - one of Europe's leading technology centers (2), the project was announced in March 2016, with the aim of bringing Binh Duong from traditional production to an economy with higher added value, with high-tech services and production where innovation is the driving force for development, a green and clean city, worth city for living, which become the premise to reach a knowledge and digital economy [3].

Thus, unlike the conventional approach which only focuses on the application of technology in urban areas, the Binh Duong Smart City project has a comprehensive breakthrough, both technology and non-technology, focusing on improving knowledge content and creativity in life and economics. According to Binh Duong's approach, smart city (TPTM) is like a dynamic and creative ecosystem, in which all elements are constantly being improved, innovated and optimized. The province has implemented an overall action plan "Binh Duong Navigator 2021", based on the Triple Helix model. 

Stemming from the theory, the Triple Helix model (4) encourages, promotes, and formalizes close cooperation among the state, entrepreneurs, schools and institutes for socio-economic development. The state consists of local governments, and can be governments or involved regional governments. Schools are mainly universities and colleges, research institutes, as well as other educational and training institutions. Entrepreneurs range from multinational corporations to regional businesses and start-ups. It is important that these partners have close relationships with locality, and are motivated to local socio-economic development.

Since the second half of the 1990s, many regions around the world have applied this model, in which Eindhoven city is a typical successful example [5]. Learning from Eindhoven, in 2016, Binh Duong implemented Triple Helix [6]: put people and their knowledge in the centre, the parties cooperated on a flexible and voluntary basis discussed and shared the vision, challenges, and opportunities, resources together to build common directions for local development, and commit to implementing ideas. Then, they can participate in specific projects to help their organizations achieve a more competitive position both inside and outside the region. Triple Helix Collaboration plays a role in supporting each participating partner to make better more appropriate decisions to the environment, and linked with the common goals of the parties. In Binh Duong, Triple Helix has become a principle to look forward to when implementing each smart city project. 

In addition to cooperation, adaptive flexibility has also been drastically applied in implementation of smart city by Binh Duong. This is considered to be an important principle in the 4.0 era with turbulent innovation, as the idea in the theory of evolution states: not the most powerful or the smartest, but the one that best adapts to change will exist.

Specific objectives and guidelines for the smart city project are presented in the document "Binh Duong Navigator 2021". This document sets out a general perspective, identifies development directions, assigns and commits to each specific action program to build Binh Duong - as an important part of the key economic region in southern of Vietnam - towards a smart city, is an area of international science and technology (science and technology) and economy in fields of innovation, services and high-tech production. Specific actions can be changed from time to time, based on the general directional framework of project. The document includes 46 specific actions under 14 programs, divided into 4 scopes: "people", "technology", "enterprise", "foundation factors" (3).

People: putting people in the centre of whole project, this part focuses on labour force, working capacity, cooperation ability, educational level, skills and person- job fit. The long-term goal is that Binh Duong strives to become a globally competitive locality in attracting, training, developing and retaining scientific and technical talents to promote innovation and economic growth. The practical centres - creative hubs (Techlab, Fablab, MakerSpace) will be deployed in Binh Duong, where machines and equipment are available, shared between the institute and enterprises for students to practice, start-ups, as well as faculty and businesses have the opportunity to develop ideas. This goal will be strengthened by a good educational infrastructure, international standard programs, a dynamic working environment, and collaborative resources, which will bring a talented and efficient workforce in Binh Duong. 

Technology: implementing projects which aimed at enhancing and attracting research and development activities; encouraging the creation, cooperation and transfer of knowledge, linking new technologies with key industries and social life; and enabling new technology to be piloted in living labs, both supporting research and improving people's lives. Recognizing the importance of this factor, the provincial government leads as well as supports and brings institutions and companies in the country and multinational corporations together to build. The long-term goal is that Binh Duong needs a solid knowledge base to be able to serve many advanced manufacturing companies. In the future, public and privately funded research and development infrastructure will not only serve Binh Duong province but also the Southern Key Economic Region, and parties work closely to enhance competition in production. Binh Duong aims to build a better future for people and businesses through using of advanced technology as a driving force for socio-economic development.

Enterprises: Strengthening existing businesses, improving the quality of attracting investment, and promoting entrepreneurship are the main targets of action programs in this scope. Binh Duong has a huge advantage with quality and number of manufacturing companies which are located in large-scale industrial zones. The province continues to promote the development of business databases and public information on regional supply chains, building supporting industries, science and technology zones, international trade complexes, business incubators with international template. In the future, Binh Duong is determined to move towards a business innovative ecosystem and a supply chain network with solid, capable suppliers, always integrated and ready-to-attract domestic and foreign high-tech investors both in industry and services.

Foundation factors: focus on the prerequisites for developing a strong region, such as building good IT infrastructure and communication technology, favourable business environment, comfortable and attractive clean and green living environment, dynamic cultural entertainment and sports centres, to build reputation. Binh Duong pays special attention to build strategic internal and interprovincial transport systems, hub centres for dry ports, as well as developing information and communication technology infrastructure, broadband, stable energy to meet advanced production demand. Binh Duong aims to have a world-class image not only with a reputation as a good place to work, high-tech production and service but also a smart city with a dynamic, creative and competitive living environment, strive to join global organizations.

In terms of resources, the preparation of a strict schedule towards the smart city will create a strong attraction for technology investors, dynamic young people and knowledge workers both in country and abroad. A Triple Helix cooperation model, like Eindhoven, which is people-centered rather than technology, will help Binh Duong create a dynamic environment that fosters universities, businesses and international communities join to build, bring ideas, solutions, smart business models that benefit all parties. In addition, Binh Duong also has a step-by-step construction schedule to spread resources, starting with projects that can leverage socio-economy, and focusing on urban areas with strategic locations that was well planned first, then gradually spread to the whole province.

In terms of criteria, Binh Duong is specially planned according to six criteria of the prestigious ICT World Smart Community Forum, with the goal of joining this network soon. These six criteria are also important basic foundation for smart city development, knowledge economy, digital economy [7] [8]: (1) Broadband is deployed in the region, (2) Knowledge workforce as well as training and research activities, (3) Innovative policies and activities in communities, (4) Equal access to digital technology for all in community, (5) Sustainable development, and (6) Encouraging support from the whole community. The province also plans for a Smart Area, a pioneer in development according to the above criteria. With Binh Duong, entering ICF will help the province expand exchanges, learn and exchange experiences with nearly 200 prosperous provinces around the world in ICF, to be in harmony with the new development trends of the world, creating trust for investors, repositioning reputation in the international arena.

The smart city project has been directly directed by provincial leaders to drastically implement, attract the whole society to enthusiastically contribute and mobilize resources, after nearly 4 years, it has achieved really great results, contributing strongly in the great development of the province, opening up many new potential opportunities for the next period [3] [9].

In the past, with the innovation programs, Binh Duong has continuously exceeded the targets; especially there are criteria that have grown dramatically such as international cooperation, attracting foreign investment, trade surplus, etc. The number of enterprises in the province from the beginning of 2016 to March 2020 more than doubled, from over 20,000 to nearly 44,000 enterprises. Binh Duong has been at the top of the country for many consecutive years in many fields: infrastructure is in first top, attracting foreign investment is in top 3, domestic production is in top 3, etc. Even in terms of social security, Binh Duong is also the first place in the country to build social housing for low-income people, and is the only locality where all poor households have been eradicated so far, etc.

The northern districts in turn strongly industrialized, typically the new district Bau Bang, while in the south, Thu Dau Mot city become the first grade, while Di An and Thuan An were recognized as city. Programs to promote innovation and science and technology research, modern education such as STEM / STEAM, provincial innovation center, TechLab technology laboratories, FabLab, business incubators ... has been being deployed actively and vigorously from the government as well as schools and businesses. Many programs that apply science and technology to life are leading the country such as a modern centralized administrative center; GIS geographic information system with digitalized planning map data in the whole province; automatic monitoring system, monitoring environmental components and controlling waste sources from all industrial zones and important areas in the province; land and environment databases to support close and proactive management; starting to form an enterprise database to support management and analysis to promote investment attraction; Successfully deployed switchboard 1022 and social network systems (zalo, facebook ...) for people to directly connect to the government at any time.

From the smart city strategy, the province has gradually integrated cooperating with many leading corporations in science and technology such as Schneider Corporation, Philips, Bosch, NXP, Intel, TMA ..., famous domestic and international institutions such as National University of Singapore NUS, Research Institute ITRI Taiwan technology industry, Korea Chungnam National University, US Portland State University, Ho Chi Minh City National University, Institute of Applied Mechanics and Informatics - Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology ... to build large-scale research, creation and training centers.

Binh Duong has also hosted a series of global events on economic cooperation, science and technology, innovation, and smart cities such as the Global Innovation Forum with the World Science and Technology Urban Association. WTA and UNESCO, the Horasis Asian economic cooperation forum ... annually attracts several thousand business leaders, multinational corporations, universities, politicians, mayors of provinces and cities all over the continent to come and join, bring extremely great practical benefits with opportunities for investment cooperation, exchange of experience, bring the provincial brand to the international level. By 2019, according to the General Statistics Office, the per capita income of Binh Duong has risen to the top of Vietnam, and there is little gap between the rich and the poor. Binh Duong and other regions of the province have in turn joined the world's prestigious organizations such as the World Smart Community Forum, the World Science and Technology Urban Association WTA, the World Trade Center Association WTCA. ... In 2018 and 2019, the Binh Duong smart region was honored by ICF as one of the 21 regions with the world's typical smart city development strategy [8].

Entering 2020, the global economy is unexpectedly stagnated by the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to restart this year with a lot of changes in the way people live, work, interact and consume. [10]. Many localities are forecasted to be in crisis in the coming time due to declining investment, broken production chains, while people and businesses aspire to change, and science and technology (science and technology) in 4.0 era continues to develop despite the epidemic.

In the above context, in the period of 2021-2025, the Binh Duong Smart City project will still be specially invested and developed, maintain the great goals, and implement with more focus and depth, and will focus on digital economy more than before. Binh Duong, with its potential and new position in the international arena, is the time to come up with bolder, stronger and more specific projects, creating momentum and spillover for the whole region and Vietnam [9]. 

In terms of strategy, the province still promotes its industrial strength, considering it as the focus, especially promoting high technology, advanced production, and focusing more on economic restructuring towards high quality services such as large-scale commerce, e-commerce, education and training, urban, etc. Increasing the value of services in the new period is a prerequisite for rapid and sustainable development, thereby supporting industry to develop more effectively. In addition, the Binh Duong government also continues to promote and create conditions for businesses to spread their production and business activities to other provinces and cities, while contributing to building other localities and expanding their sources for economic development of the province. In terms of planning, the province continues to strongly implement the orientation of industrial relocation to the North, promoting good conditions to build new infrastructure to meet the requirements of high quality, while improving and upgrading urban-area service in the South, in which New City with synchronous modern planning is the center of the province.

From the above vision, in the framework of smart city, Binh Duong determined to focus resources on quickly implementing a number of specific and effective action programs to develop economy and meet the needs of enterprises after pandemic. First of all, continue to complete the Triple Helix model, engage all parties, mobilize resources for the whole society, and complete the government apparatus. In terms of service, urban, e-commerce and financial investment in technology, the three cities of Thu Dau Mot, Di An, and Thuan An are the basis of smart urban planning, of which The new city will continue playing its nuclear role, and the World Trade Center in Binh Duong New City which is being formed will be the bright place.

From the New City along the road of My Phuoc - Tan Van - Bau Bang connecting to the north is the Science and Technology Industrial Park, a key project in the future to create a breakthrough in high-tech production, which innovate, connect Triple Helix, and especially attract major partners to promote the development of smart - advanced production to meet the needs of tens of thousands of manufacturing enterprises in the province who are looking to increase level towards 4.0. In fact, in order to effectively implement the above-scale projects, the province will focus on quickly developing the transportation network, combating congestion, building smart logistics with the system of ports, rivers, and railways, forming a supply chain ecosystem as well as focusing on broadband infrastructure, large-scale database, technology application, administrative reform. In particular, in the coming 4.0 era, high-quality human resources and innovative environment will play the most important role to disrupt socio-economic, always the most important focus of the smart city project [ 11].

Along with the schedule of repositioning provincial brand on the international arena, Binh Duong's synchronous implementation of the above breakthrough projects will create a new driving force, strongly attracting resources to contribute to the outstanding development in the new era of the province.

After more than 20 years of successful industrialization, in the context of the science and technology explosion of the fourth industrial revolution, in 2016, Binh Duong cooperated with Eindhoven city -Netherlands to implement the smart city project as a breakthrough program towards high-tech production, service, and a dynamic city that is worth living. With the Triple Helix model, putting people and knowledge in the center, taking cooperation and connection as the motto, promoting innovation, and the project has strongly contributed to the outstanding development of Binh Duong, laying the basic foundations, bringing the province to a new position in the international arena, preparing for the next period 2021-2025, vision to 2045. Trust in the strength of the whole community to overcome difficulties after COVID-19 pandemic, Binh Duong will continue to develop momentum, promote potential, make a breakthrough in the socio-economy, enhance added value and international competitiveness, open a new breakthrough period, reaching the knowledge economy, digital economy, innovating towards smart city, welcoming the 4.0 era.

[1] K. Schwab, The Fourth Industrial Revolution. New York: Currency, 2017.

[3] Nguyen Viet Long, "The groundbreaking strategic socio-economic development – smart city planning : a case study of Binh Duong," J. Archit. Plan. Taiwan, vol. 19, no. 2, 2019.

[4] H. Etzkowitz, The Triple Helix: University-Industry-Government Innovation in Action. New York: Routledge, 2008.

[5] R. Van Gijzel, A city creating the future. Lecturis, 2016.

[6] Nguyen Viet Long and Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, “The Triple Helix Model: the key to innovation, science and technology, social development & knowledge economy,” Journal of Political Science - Ho Chi Minh City National Academy of Politics - The Academy of Politics Region II, vol. 01/2020, 2020.

[7] R. A. Bell, J. G. Jung, and L. A. Zacharilla, Brain Gain: How innovative cities create job growth in an age of disruption, 1 edition. New York: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014.

 [8] Nguyen Viet Long, "Vision and set of criteria for developing a platform towards digital economy: The approach of the world's smart community forum," Journal of Political Science - Ho Chi Minh City National Academy of Politics - The Academy of Politics Region II, vol. 06/2019, 2019.

 [9] "Plan 09/ KH-BDH dated January 22, 2020, implementation of the Binh Duong smart city project in 2020."Binh Duong Provincial People's Committee - Smart City Management Board, Jan 22, 2020

[10] McKinsey & Company, “Coronavirus' business impact: Evolving perspective | McKinsey."Apr. 13, 2020.

[11] Deloitte et al., “Global manufacturing competitiveness index report." Deloitte, 2016.