BÌNH DƯƠNG — The southern province of Bình Dương plans to call for investment in 20 projects in transport infrastructure, healthcare and education during the 2017-20 period, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Trần Thanh Liêm said.

In the education sector, there are three projects -- Thủ Dầu Một University, and Bình Chuẩn 2 and An Phú 2 primary schools.

The Thủ Dầu Một University project is estimated to require the largest amount of capital at VNĐ4 trillion (US$177.8 million), which can be in the forms of Build-Transfer (BT) or Build-Own-Operate (BOO). Under the project, Thủ Dầu Một University will be developed into a multidisciplinary training facility in line with the provincial research orientation.

Of the 15 transport infrastructure projects, the project to develop a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system between Bình Dương New City and Suối Tiên Bus Station in HCM City will be the costliest, with investment estimated at VNĐ1.96 trillion.

The project’s purpose is to expand the regional link between Bình Dương and Đồng Nai provinces and HCM City, reduce traffic jams and improve traffic safety for vehicles traveling on the Mỹ Phước-Tân Vạn road, and boost development of the industrial sector in the province.

The province will also have to mobilise VNĐ980 billion to build the 540m-long Bạch Đằng 2 Bridge across the Đồng Nai River in Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) or BT models.

In the healthcare sector, the province will prioritise a 500-bed hospital specialising in traumatic brain injury, orthopaedics, and obstetrics in Dĩ An Commune, with investment of VNĐ2 trillion, and a VNĐ240 billion general hospital in Bầu Bàng District. The hospitals should be invested in forms of BT or BOO. — VNS