If green infrastructure creates the initial appeal, science, technology, innovation and digital transformation (DX) are the decisive factors driving the industrial competitiveness.

According to the Dak Lak Department of Science and Technology (S&T), the province has gradually invested in industrial infrastructure, developed digital infrastructure along with technological applications in manufacturing. However, its development model still relies largely on traditional advantages. Meanwhile, the transition towards a green and circular economy, together with deeper international integration is imposing novel standards on industrial parks (IPs) together with industrial clusters (ICs).

The provincial unique advantages following the provincial merger have created an opportunity for Dak Lak to establish an integrated value chain spanning raw material production and deep processing to logistics alongside exports. However, this value chain requires a strong foundation in S&T and digital data. Industrial park development in the novel phase should move beyond conventional infrastructure investment towards building an innovation ecosystem.

According to Dr. Bui Thanh Luan, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Robot Association, next-generation IPs are no longer merely manufacturing sites. They must integrate digital infrastructure, green energy, automation, smart logistics alongside business support services. This, he noted, represents the inevitable direction for Viet Nam in its novel development phase.

Seafood processing at Hoa Hiep Industrial Park.

From the business perspective, Capella Quang Nam JSC also believes that future IPs must be developed as smart IPs equipped with automated environmental monitoring systems, energy management, digital infrastructure and centralised operational platforms. Such investments will help enterprises reduce operating costs, improve production efficiency while strengthening competitiveness.

According to the Department of S&T, numerous enterprises have invested in modern processing lines and adopted post-harvest preservation technologies, automation, product traceability as well as DX in production management. Nevertheless, linkages along the value chain, from raw material areas to deep processing, remain limited. The supply of highly qualified personnel in AI, automation, smart logistics and innovation also remains insufficient. Accordingly, the department has proposed developing a shared data platform to support industrial coupled with logistics management, while accelerating the application of AI, IoT and Big Data in planning, infrastructure management as well as environmental monitoring.

PPC Vice Chairman, comrade Dao My said that Dak Lak will prioritise restructuring industrial space while upgrading infrastructure quality across IPs coupled with ICs. The province will attract leading corporations and enterprises to invest in the deep processing of key products, while prioritising the development of logistics centres, cold storage facilities along with distribution hubs, thereby establishing an integrated industrial - logistics economic corridor connecting raw material areas with seaports. Simultaneously, the province will intensify S&T applications, accelerate DX, develop a highly skilled workforce, while issuing a list of priority projects covering industrial park and industrial cluster infrastructure, deep processing coupled with logistics, together with specific mechanisms and policies to create a transparent investment environment combined with effectively attract strategic investors.

Translated by KHUONG THAO