Just the other day, in the early autumn of persimmon season, I received another gift from the highlands. The bus from Da Lat to Binh Duong brought a loving gift basket full of ripe persimmons that you sent.
Young Citizens of Binh Duong - photo taken at Binh Duong New City Park
Every time you send a gift, you don't forget to "attach" a message: "What do you have in Binh Duong? If I go there, what can I do?". Then you send a message to reply to the question you just asked: "Oh, wow! But as far as I know, Binh Duong where you live is full of factories and industrial parks!".
I remember the time I was wandering around Bai Truoc Park in the coastal city of Vung Tau, a motorbike taxi driver looked at me and... "caught my eye": "Are you from Ho Chi Minh City?". I smiled and replied: "Yes, sir! I'm from Binh Duong". The motorbike taxi driver laughed: "Oh my! I thought so, but I know... six lines of vọng cổ! But now Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai or Vung Tau, everywhere there are export processing zones, industrial parks, with countless factories and enterprises".
It has become a "regional specialty brand", to the point that now, if I go anywhere outside Binh Duong and someone asks where I'm from, after answering, I know I'll hear: "Binh Duong? There are only industrial parks there!".
"Hey! Are you in Singapore?", you texted me when you received the pictures I sent you. "Yeah! Sing... in... Binh Duong new city!". You were excited: "Wow! So beautiful? The scenery is exactly like Singapore. I will definitely take a "fact-finding" trip to your hometown Binh Duong to see what it's like!". Your exclamations made me very happy! I felt very proud! "The whole country has 11 Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Parks, and my hometown Binh Duong owns 3 of them."
The last rays of the day in the center of Thu Dau Mot city
In 1996, when Thuan An was still a town, not yet a city as it is today, an industrial park project with green - clean - beautiful international standard infrastructure, with an area of about 500 hectares was formed, named: Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP), also the first industrial park planned according to Singapore standards in Vietnam.
10 years later, VSIP 2 Industrial Park was formed and the project was expanded to nearly 2,000 hectares after 2 years, developing both an industrial park and an urban and service area.
In 2022, the VSIP 3 Industrial Park project with an area of 1,000 hectares was launched in Bac Tan Uyen district, oriented towards green and sustainable development with new, synchronous designs in terms of energy, water, waste use, traffic management and security.
With a large land area and a sparse population of about one million people, after more than 20 years of development, Binh Duong is considered a "promising land", with a population of nearly 3 million people, gathering residents from all regions of the country.
From the North, you take a trip through the clouds to the Eastern region. From the center of Thu Dau Mot city, I "design" to take you around the new city of Binh Duong by the most convenient and least expensive means of transport: bus!
You suddenly get... startled! "Oh! I thought I was on a bus in... the land of cherry blossoms!". It's not because the driver bowed to you politely when you got on the bus that you were... confused! I started my... "presentation" to you: "Becamex Tokyu Bus is the first Japanese transportation project in Vietnam with Japanese technology style. Using CNG as the main fuel to save fuel, reduce environmental pollution, imbued with Japanese technology and civilization - culture; operating with the service motto: safety, convenience, punctuality".
Democracy Street, one of the tree-lined streets located in VSip II Industrial Park - Vinh Tan Ward, Tan Uyen City, Binh Duong
Buses crisscross the streets. Passing by the twin towers - the administrative center of Binh Duong, the buildings, factories, enterprises, and roads around the city are all covered by rows of straight green trees. Looking at the city drifting by outside the window, you are both surprised and delighted: "Binh Duong is wonderful! You are so lucky!".
"Tokyu buses are a friendly means of transportation for Binh Duong people. The green growth plan in the industrial and transportation sectors will help Binh Duong achieve economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and international standards with the most complete and modern appearance in a short time," I finished my "presentation" when you nodded to thank the bus driver and got off the bus.
You arrive in Binh Duong right on the occasion of the full moon festival in January. In the morning, I take you for a walk around the center of Thu Dau Mot city. You watch people and the streets. Then you are... bewildered and surprised to receive so many friendly invitations: "Uncle, let's have some bread, uncle!", "Bring a bottle of cool water to cool down, son!", "Vegetarian fried noodles, brother!", "Cool cold towels, uncle!". "Sugarcane juice, brother?"...
You are surprised by all the invitations... without "payment". Many tourists are so emotional that they call it "free festival". Because during the festival days in the city, no matter who the guests are, where they come from, they are all welcomed and invited very sincerely!
"The whole city joins hands to do charity? I saw a sign in the parking lot: free! Youth Union members give incense and flowers to visitors to the temple. I can't count the free stalls. There are so many! And I've never seen a place where the whole city, from the government to the people, roll up their sleeves and are so generous. Food and drinks are displayed everywhere, just grab them...", you shared your emotions when stopping in front of a stall to receive a sandwich and a bottle of cool water.
In June, the mangosteen season is at its peak. I took a trip around the gardens of Cau Ngang and Lai Thieu. The ladies looked at the motorbikes in front and behind filled with baskets of mangosteens with red spots. "Buying them to sell, boy?". I could only smile... crookedly! "What wholesale, miss? I'm "returning" gifts to friends from far away!". From Hanoi, Hung Yen, Da Lat. The friends received the gifts, "round trip" with a smiley face, then a heart shape: "Crunchy, sweet, delicious! Thank you Binh Duong specialty mangosteen!". Just like that, no need to buy or sell, I already saw a lot of "profit"!
The land that used to be purely agricultural with green vegetable fields stretching to the horizon, now Binh Duong looks different from before. Industrial parks, urban agricultural farms, fruit gardens... Still green but the green patches are greener, fresher and more sustainable!
Binh Duong is forever green...
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