The "Most modern, smart, green city of Southeast Asia in 2040" project has been submitted to authorities by the Abdulla Bin Zayed Group from the United Arab Emirates and Vietnamese investors IMG Group that will transform southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province into a national logistics and commercial hub.
The IMG Group is a development and investment firm operating in the areas of legal and finance, logistics, education, media, and air cargo. The Abdulla Bin Zayed Group is owned by Sheikh Abdulla bin Zayed Saqr Al Nahyan.
The project’s master plan includes logistics facilities and ports, high-speed rail links, a modern international passenger airport, air freight and cargo terminals, and modern commercial and innovation centers, among others.
The model city will also have smart urban infrastructure, e-commerce business centers, high-tech agricultural parks, and renewable energy industrial parks, and include utilities to improve people’s daily lives. The project covers a total area of 20,000 ha in Vung Tau and Ba Ria cities and Phu My town. The model has been successful in Dubai and Singapore, enabling those cities to develop and become world-class financial centers.
Additionally, this project will implement E-Government and a Geographic Information System (GIS) to increase efficiency, reduce the use of paper, and facilitate services for residents of the city. The project will create hundreds of thousands of jobs for citizens and exploit, restore and upgrade technical capabilities, facilities and human resources. The project will also boost the country’s GDP and add millions of dollars in increased tax revenues.
The IMG team has been working closely with the government for the past five years on the development of the country’s logistics infrastructure. IMG has organized many events and seminars with the government and the private sector about the need for enhanced logistics infrastructure, recognizing that this is the key to sustainable economic growth.
This project is the culmination of this work and will see the creation of a national logistics and commercial hub that will facilitate trade and increase import/export volumes. This will enable Vietnam to achieve the benefits from the many trade agreements that have been signed with other countries. It will also allow the country to further integrate into the global economy.
The project also achieves many of the Industry 4.0 targets State President Nguyen Phu Trong set out in Resolution No. 52-NQ/TW, particularly in transitioning towards a modern, digital economy and promoting innovation.
It also coincides with the State President’s vision to 2045 that Vietnam becomes one of Asia’s leading manufacturing and service centers and startup and innovation centers, with high workplace productivity and the capability to master and apply modern technology in all fields.
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed Saqr Al Nahyan visited Ba Ria Vung Tau and personally surveyed the area to supplement his vision and master plan.
Representatives of ABZ and IMG met with provincial authorities, including leaders of the Department of Planning and Investment, the Department of Construction, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, together with representatives from the people’s committees of cities and towns and other related authorities.
Mr. Nguyen Hong Linh (Member of the Party Central Committee, Provincial Party Secretary, People’s Council Chairman) approved and supported the proposal of the two corporations, aiming to create the best living space for the people. The Provincial Party Secretary requested the Provincial People's Committee to instruct the relevant departments to cooperate and connect with the investors to implement the project for Ba Ria - Vung Tau.
This new modern, green, smart city will turn Ba Ria Vung Tau province into a national logistics gateway and put Vietnam on the global stage and mentioned in the same breath as cities like Dubai and Singapore.
