This information was shared by Mr. Vo Thanh Phong, Deputy Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Export Processing Zones and Industrial Parks Management Board (HEPZA), at the CEO Roundtable with the theme "Orientation". invest and sustainable development in industrial zones" was recently awarded by the Finance and Investment Newspaper, and the Federation of Associations. Real estate The Vietnam Industry Conference, organized by Thanh Binh Phu My Joint Stock Company and NS BlueScope Vietnam, was held recently at Phu My 3 Industrial Park.
According to Mr. Phong, Decree No. 35/2022/ND-CP (Decree 35) stipulates that an ecological industrial park is an industrial park in which the businesses Participating in cleaner production activities, using resources efficiently, establishing linkages and cooperation to implement industrial symbiosis models, and meeting the criteria in the decree. To be more specific, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (now the Ministry) FinanceThe Ministry of Planning and Investment issued Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BKHĐT (Circular 05) to provide detailed guidance on each criterion at the beginning of 2025.
Over the past period, HEPZA has implemented numerous solutions to promote green, clean, and sustainable production transformation for infrastructure investors and businesses in industrial parks and export processing zones. Simultaneously, it has collaborated with organizations such as JICA, UNIDO, and the World Bank to research, evaluate, and select directions for transforming existing industrial parks/export processing zones towards ecological and smart development in the city.
One of those programs is project “Technical support for the construction of model industrial parks/smart industrial parks with ecological orientation and the application of information technology in the management and operation of industrial parks in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province” is funded by JICA, Japan and will be completed within 4 years, ending at the end of 2027.
Initially, the project is being piloted in Phu My 3 Industrial Park and Phu My 2 Industrial Park. Results show that Phu Huu 3 Industrial Park has basically met all 21 criteria. HEPZA is submitting proposals to relevant ministries and agencies so that by November 2025, the City can be advised to recognize it as the first eco-industrial park in the area, and also one of the first in Vietnam.
Providing further information on this matter, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao Nhi, Chairwoman and General Director of Thanh Binh Phu My Joint Stock Company (the investor of Phu My 3 Industrial Park), stated that meeting the 21 criteria of the ecological industrial park model is not easy. It requires a combination of sound initial planning, the efforts of the infrastructure investor, and the cooperation of businesses operating within the park, which must also transition towards a green direction.
According to Ms. Nhi, more than 10 years ago, the area where the Phu My 3 intensive industrial park project is being implemented was the downstream region, and businesses were being studied by the former Ba Ria - Vung Tau province in collaboration with Mitsubishi experts to attract supply chains from Japan.
The project is planned based on attracting heavy industries, raw material production, and basic industries. It aligns with Ba Ria – Vung Tau's advantages of a deep-water port, petrochemical zone, and supporting industrial ecosystem. The goal is to supply raw materials to major industrial centers in the Southern region such as Dong Nai and Binh Duong, thereby increasing the localization rate.
At that time, the required discharge standard was only level B. However, the company decided to upgrade from standard B to standard A, even though there was no mandatory requirement. Many regulatory agencies and ministries then questioned: "If we upgrade to standard A, while surrounding industrial zones only treat according to standard B, our environmental costs will be higher, so how can we compete?"”
“We still have a responsibility to attract businesses and create cost advantages. It’s a very difficult task, but we chose sustainable development and clearly defined our target investor segment. If we hadn’t pursued industrial symbiosis back then, and hadn’t invested in upgrading from B to A, we certainly wouldn’t be able to achieve the eco-industrial park model today. And if we were to start the transformation now, it would be extremely difficult – because all the factories, wastewater treatment systems, technical infrastructure… are already operating according to the old standards,” Ms. Nhi said.
According to Ms. Nhi, for an industrial park to truly become "green" and "ecological," the first foundation must be sustainable development, encompassing the environment, community, and transparent governance based on ESG principles. This is not just a slogan, but an operational system that must be prepared well in advance and maintained continuously.
Viet Dung – 15/11/2025 21:25
Source: https://amp.baodautu.vn/tphcm-sap-co-khu-cong-nghiep-sinh-thai-dau-tien-d434737.html
