Greening industrial parks step by step

Amid the demand for sustainable development and emission reduction, Dong Nai Province is prioritizing improvements to environmental quality in existing industrial parks (IPs) while developing new parks based on ecological and circular economy models.

Long Duc Industrial Park is undergoing a transition to an ecological model. Photo: Hoang Loc

This orientation aims to expand industrial spaces in a greener, cleaner, and more sustainable direction while creating competitive advantages for investors and enterprises.

A major industrial hub of Vietnam

Dong Nai is one of the country’s largest industrial hubs, with 57 IPs, one economic zone, and one hi-tech park, attracting more than 2,700 domestic and foreign investment projects. Early and rapid industrial development has brought significant advantages in terms of economic growth, investment attraction, and the establishment of key industries. However, rapid urbanization and industrialization have also placed considerable pressure on the environment, natural resources, and technical infrastructure. Over the past decade, the province has shifted toward a sustainable development model, in which the “greening” of industrial parks is a key component.

Pham Viet Phuong, Acting Deputy Head of the Dong Nai Economic and Industrial Zones Authority, said that the province currently has 43 operational IPs, 42 of which have completed centralized wastewater treatment systems with a combined capacity of nearly 300,000 m³ per day and night. Most IPs are equipped with automatic wastewater monitoring systems that transmit data directly to regulatory agencies around the clock. Under the 2021–2030 planning with a vision to 2050, Dong Nai will have a total of 81 IPs, forming one of the nation’s largest and most modern industrial networks.

According to Phuong, industry is one of seven sectors prioritized for emissions reduction under the province’s carbon reduction plan, which targets net-zero emissions by 2050. This target is not only an environmental goal but also a “key” to enhancing competitiveness and meeting the global trend of green supply chain requirements.

Since 2020, Dong Nai has had an IP participating in a pilot project on building ecological industrial parks based on a global approach initiated by the central government. Amata Industrial Park has implemented the project, achieving positive results in resource efficiency and cleaner production. Enterprises in the park have successfully reduced production costs, cut emissions, improved product quality, and increased participation in international supply chains.

According to the Dong Nai Economic and Industrial Zones Authority, the province holds several advantages for replicating the pilot model implemented at Amata Industrial Park. These include increasingly comprehensive national policies on circular and green economy; heightened environmental awareness among local enterprises; and proactive guidance and technical support from state management agencies. Additionally, green and ecological industrial parks have greater access to green credit, green bonds, and infrastructure incentives, which serve as key factors in attracting investment activities.

However, the greening process also faces particular challenges, including complex regulations on waste and wastewater reuse; high investment costs for “green technologies,” especially for small and medium-sized enterprises; and the lack of an exemplary ecological IP model in the province, which makes implementation difficult and reduces spillover effects.

“Greening” industrial parks

Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee Ho Van Ha said the province has been encouraging and supporting the transformation of existing IPs toward greener models. At the same time, 100% of newly developed IPs must meet ecological and high-tech criteria and incorporate emission-reduction solutions from the design phase. This commitment is not only a strategic direction but also reflects the province’s responsibility in keeping pace with global energy transition and green production trends.

According to provincial leaders, as major export markets tighten environmental and energy standards, greening IPs will help enterprises improve competitiveness and participate more deeply in global supply chains.

Under the approved 2021–2030 development plan with a vision to 2050, Dong Nai will have 81 IPs covering more than 39,000 hectares, one hi-tech park of nearly 500 hectares, and one economic zone of about 26 hectares.

Shunsuke Hieda, Project Team Leader at Nippon Koei Vietnam International Co., Ltd. (Hanoi), stated that under the green growth cooperation program between the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee and the government of Kobe City (Japan), Long Duc Industrial Park (Binh An Commune) has been selected as the first site to evaluate emission reduction projects under the JCM (Japan–Vietnam Joint Crediting Mechanism). Proposed solutions under consideration include installing a rooftop solar power system with a total capacity of 6.5MW, capable of reducing 2,800 tons of CO₂ per year; replacing outdated boilers with high-efficiency models to cut emissions by approximately 7,600 tons of CO₂ annually; deploying automatic emissions monitoring systems; enhancing energy monitoring; and improving wastewater treatment efficiency.

“If implemented synchronously, Long Duc IP could become a flagship model for green cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, and between Dong Nai Province and Kobe City, while also serving as a template for other industrial parks in Dong Nai during the transition period,” Hieda said.

Hiroyuki Ishii, General Director of Long Duc Investment Co., Ltd., stated that, according to its self-assessment, Long Duc IP has met 15 out of 22 criteria for ecological industrial parks as outlined in Decree No. 35/2022/ND-CP dated May 28, 2022. The developer is continuing to finalize documentation, upgrade infrastructure, and promote industrial symbiosis to obtain the province’s first ecological IP certification soon.

According to Hiroyuki, Long Duc is set to become Dong Nai’s pioneering industrial park in green transformation. The industrial park’s management board has coordinated with relevant authorities to clarify criteria, access conditions, and technical requirements. At the same time, it is planning to develop symbiotic systems and promote collaboration among enterprises to maximize resource utilization and minimize waste.

To accelerate the greening process, build sustainable competitive advantages, and achieve net-zero targets, Dong Nai will implement a comprehensive set of solutions: increasing the proportion of land reserved for green areas, transport, and shared facilities to at least 25% of IP land; promoting synchronized development of technical and social infrastructure; requiring enterprises to upgrade technology, conduct greenhouse gas inventories, and comply with ISO-based environmental standards; and improving the legal framework for the circular economy while supporting enterprise access to green financing.

By Hoang Loc – Translated by Trieu Ngan, Minho