THE TRANSFORMATION OF SOUTHERN MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES TOWARD CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE 18 IV. CLIMATE CHANGE IN BEN TRE AND BINH DUONG PROVINCES Figure 4. Map of Binh Duong Source: https://www.binhduong.gov.vn Binh Duong is located at the edge of contact between the uplift and erosion zone of Da Lat and the accumulation subsidence zone of the Mekong Delta. There are two main fault systems, so the terrain is hierarchical descending from North to South (Binh Duong Geography, 2010). The topographic surface has an average elevation of 60 m to 40 m above sea level in the north and a drop of 30 m to 10 m above sea level in the south. Binh Duong’s land is very diverse and rich. It includes grey soil, red-yellow soil, young alluvial soil, alkaline soil, sloping soil, and inert erosive soil. The climate in Binh Duong is similar to that of the Southeast region: High temperatures, heavy rains, and relatively high humidity. Due to its stable monsoon tropical climate, the year is divided into two distinct seasons. There are almost no storms in Binh Duong. The average temperature ranges from 26°C to 27°C. The average annual humidity is from 76 percent - 80 percent and the average annual rainfall is from 1.800 -2.000 mm. The main river in Binh Duong is the Dong Nai River. This is the largest river in the Southeast of Vietnam, originating from the Lam Vien plateau (Lam Dong) and flowing for 635 km through Binh Duong in North Tan Uyen. There is also the Thi Tinh river, a tributary of the Saigon river. The downstream part of the Be river flowing into Binh Duong is about 80 km long. The province is not convenient for waterway traffic because its rivers have steep banks, many sections of the river bed have reefs, and there are many rapids. Socio-economic features: Binh Duong has a population of 2,568,689 people and GRDP per capita is 151 million VND/year (Binh Duong Statistical Department report, 1 December 2020). It has nine administrative units at the district level: Thu Dau Mot City, Di An City, Thuan An City, Ben Cat (urban center), Tan Uyen (urban center), and the districts of Bau Bang, Bac Tan Uyen, Dau Tieng, and Phu Giao, as well as 91 communes (41 communes, 45 wards, and 5 towns) (binhduong.gov.vn, 2022). Binh Duong has the second-largest number of migrants in general and workers in particular (after Ho Chi Minh City) with 1.2 million people. According to the 2019 census, Binh Duong province had 2.3 million people, with migrants accounting for over half (53.5 percent) of the population (Huy Thinh and Tien Phong, 2019). Binh Duong is developing its economy in the direction of industry, services, and agriculture. To date, 29 industrial parks have been built (27 are operational) with a total area of 12,670.5 ha. The occupancy rate is 87.4 percent. While, there are 12 industrial clusters with a total area of 790 ha and an occupancy rate of 67.4 percent. Binh Duong also attracts a lot of foreign investment. As of 2020, the province had attracted 3,928 investment projects and USD 35.4 billion. This leads Binh Duong ranking third in the provinces of country in terms of attracting foreign investment, just below Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. At the same time, Binh Duong has 48,456 domestic enterprises. Many new and modern urban areas have been formed, the most typical of which is “Binh Duong New City”. Agriculture only accounts for 3.15 percent of the local economy. However, in recent years, Binh Duong has aimed to build hi-tech agriculture. Today, Binh Duong has the second-largest number of farms in the Southeast region and the fifth in the whole country. The total area of hi- tech application in cultivation in Binh Duong has reached 5,763.5 ha. The province has four hi-tech agricultural zones: Tien Hung (North Tan Uyen); Tan Hiep and Phuoc Sang communes (Phu Giao); Vinh Tan (Tan Uyen); and An Thai (Phu Giao). These aim to develop areas for the specialised cultivation of rubber trees, speciality fruit trees, and safe vegetables associated with processing and consumption along the value chain. The area for urban agriculture is about 172.2 ha with the planting of valuable crops such as vegetables, mushrooms, fruit trees, orchids, and ornamental plants. Meanwhile, hi- tech application in the livestock industry continues to develop with 146 farms investing in breeding chickens, egg laying, and broiler chickens; 229 raising market pigs and breeding stock; 30 raising ducks for meat; and one raising dairy cows. The socio-economic situation in Binh Duong province has changed from agriculture to rapid industrial development, attracting a large number of migrants in the process. This economic development has led to a change in the surface