​Thus, after three consecutive times in TOP 21 (SMART 21), this is the first time that Binh Duong Smart Region has entered TOP 7, alongside other cities: Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Langley Township, British Columbia, Canada; Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; Moscow, Russia; Townsville, Queensland, Australia; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. This result affirms the recognition of the international community for the right strategies and steady development steps of Binh Duong in recent years.

To recognize a city in TOP 7, ICF has conducted research and evaluated hundreds of cities around the world, from which to choose TOP 21 (SMART 21). TOP 21 will continue to be compared and evaluated thoroughly, directly and indirectly, thereby selecting the TOP 7 cities with the smartest development strategies.

TOP 7 communities with typical Smart City development strategies in the world in 2021​

For an area to enter TOP 7, it must first satisfy 6 rigorous criteria that were tested in the TOP 21 round, specifically on the broadband connection platform, knowledge human resources, innovation, sustainable development, digital equality and the community's unanimous commitment. Especially in the TOP 7 round, ICF also researched and assessed the depth of content of the development strategies of the localities, looking at the inheritance, the depth and the consistency of the strategies, to ultimately create values for the prosperity and happiness of the community. Through the implementation of major breakthrough strategies, typically the Binh Duong Innovation Region Project - the heart of the Binh Duong Smart City Project in the upcoming development period, Binh Duong has been highly appreciated by ICF.

Reported by Mai Xuan - Translated by Nguyen Trang