Toward Green Industrial Zones

Alongside the growing attraction of industrial zones (IZs), environmental protection requirements are placed at the top priority by Phu Tho Province. Waste treatment infrastructure, automatic monitoring, and appropriate project selection are becoming crucial “filters,” contributing to improving investment capital quality and aiming toward green, sustainable growth.

The Phu Tho Provincial Center for Investment Promotion and Enterprise Support signs a memorandum of understanding with a Korean enterprise in the field of environment and energy.

Controlling Emission Sources at the Root

Along with expanding production, Phu Tho focuses on controlling emission sources right from infrastructure investment and production organization stages. At IZs, centralized wastewater collection and treatment systems, automatic monitoring, waste storage areas, and environmental incident prevention facilities are being invested in synchronously step by step.

At Ba Thien II IZ — one of the IZs attracting many investors from the US, South Korea, and Japan — environmental protection requirements are set hand in hand with the production process. After 15 years of operation, the IZ maintains a centralized wastewater treatment system with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters per day and night. Secondary enterprises perform preliminary wastewater treatment before connecting to the general system; at the same time, they collect, classify, store, and transfer waste to units with treatment functions.

According to the Provincial Industrial Zones Management Board, 15 out of 18 operating IZs currently have centralized wastewater treatment systems with a total designed capacity of 70,200 cubic meters per day and night. Industrial wastewater volume generated is about 44,970 cubic meters per day and night; 14 IZs have installed continuous automatic monitoring systems, and the connection rate of production and business projects reaches about 95%. Besides wastewater treatment, IZs also focus on controlling exhaust gas, solid waste, and hazardous waste.

Along with business responsibilities, the IZ Management Board strengthens communication, guidance, and inspection regarding environmental law compliance; coordinates in appraising environmental impact assessment reports, issuing environmental licenses, and inspecting trial operations of waste treatment facilities.

In the first 7 months of 2026, the unit coordinated the appraisal of 7 projects and facilities under Ministry-level authority and 44 projects and facilities under provincial-level authority; inspected trial operation plans for waste treatment facilities across 26 projects and facilities.

Controlling emission sources at the root is gradually becoming a consistent requirement throughout the development of IZs, reducing pollution risks while creating a foundation for enterprises to enhance environmental responsibility.

Toward Green Industry

From emission control requirements, Phu Tho is aiming toward a higher stage of development: selecting quality projects with modern technology, resource efficiency, and environmental friendliness.

According to the Phu Tho Provincial Master Plan for the 2021–2030 period with a vision to 2050, the province directs industrial development toward modernization, enhancing productivity and quality linked with green growth and sustainable development; aiming to build Phu Tho into one of the country’s major industrial hubs for high-tech, processing, manufacturing, electronics, automotive, and motorbike industries.

Nam Binh Xuyen IZ infrastructure includes green tree systems, regulating channels...

...and a synchronously and modernly invested wastewater treatment system.

This orientation is being concrete-built in new IZs. At Nam Binh Xuyen IZ, the developer allocates land funds for trees, water surfaces, and regulating canal and lake systems, aiming for a green, smart, and sustainable IZ model. The centralized wastewater treatment system is invested with automation and 24/7 monitoring, meeting treatment standards before discharging into the environment.

Green spaces, waste treatment infrastructure, and environmental management capacity are not only mandatory requirements but are increasingly becoming competitive advantages for IZs.

In the context of international investment flows paying greater attention to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, high environmental infrastructure will contribute to boosting Phu Tho’s appeal to high-tech and clean-technology projects.

Mr. Tran Hoai Duong, Deputy Head of the Provincial Industrial Zones Management Board, stated: Synchronous investment in environmental infrastructure is a key factor for IZs to develop stably and sustainably. Infrastructure developers and enterprises are increasingly focusing on technology innovation, production process improvements, waste reduction, and minimizing environmental impacts.

However, the implementation process still faces certain obstacles. Some IZs have completed centralized wastewater treatment facilities, installed automatic monitoring systems, and obtained environmental licenses, but lack sufficient wastewater volumes to conduct trial operations as prescribed. Certain regulations on classifying projects by pollution risk levels and trial operation of waste treatment facilities are also not fully suited to reality.

Facing new development requirements, the province continues to perfect environmental protection mechanisms and policies; raise project appraisal and screening quality; strengthen inspection and monitoring of regulatory compliance; and encourage businesses to innovate technology, save resources and energy, and reduce waste generation.

Along with that, Phu Tho is step-by-step boosting digital transformation in environmental management, building databases, enhancing monitoring, and researching circular economy models in IZs. The goal is not only pollution control but also forming a green production ecosystem in which one enterprise’s waste can become input for another enterprise, helping save resources, reduce costs, and improve production efficiency.

Environmental protection is therefore no longer a requirement following industrial development, but is becoming part of the strategy to attract investment and raise growth quality. With this approach, green, modern, and sustainable IZs will serve as the foundation for Phu Tho to develop industry responsibly, effectively, and sustainably over the long term.

Thuy Huong