The Party Central Committee has approved the restructuring plan that will reduce the number of provincial-level units to 34. Under this plan, Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc will be merged into a new unit tentatively named Dong Nai, with its political and administrative center remaining in the current Dong Nai.

Located in the Southeastern region, Dong Nai has emerged as one of the leading industrial provinces in Vietnam, while Binh Phuoc is rising as a dynamic and balanced economy across industry, services, and agriculture.

Preliminary data from the General Statistics Office shows that Dong Nai’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at current prices in 2023 reached over VND 448.978 trillion (approximately USD 18.2 billion), 4.5 times larger than Binh Phuoc’s GRDP of VND 99.748 trillion (approximately USD 4.05 billion).

Notably, when combining the GRDP of both provinces, the new Dong Nai province would have a total GRDP of VND 548.726 trillion (approximately USD 22.25 billion), placing it among the provinces and cities with the largest economic scale in Vietnam.

Dong Nai’s GRDP structure shows a strong emphasis on industry and construction, accounting for 58.5%, followed by services at 24.5%, and agriculture-forestry-fisheries at 9.7%.

In contrast, Binh Phuoc has a more balanced economic structure: 42.89% in industry and construction, 31.19% in services, and 22.12% in agriculture-forestry-fisheries.

In terms of domestic revenue collection in 2023, Dong Nai collected VND 40.498 trillion (approximately USD 1.64 billion), 3.7 times higher than Binh Phuoc’s VND 10.905 trillion (approximately USD 441 million).

There is also a significant gap in per capita GRDP between the two provinces.

According to preliminary 2023 data, Dong Nai’s per capita GRDP was VND 135.6 million (approximately USD 5,500), which is VND 32.7 million (approx. USD 1,330) higher than the national average of VND 102.9 million (approx. USD 4,170).

Meanwhile, Binh Phuoc’s per capita GRDP stood at VND 95.4 million (approx. USD 3,860), VND 7.5 million below the national average and VND 40.2 million (approx. USD 1,620) less than Dong Nai’s.

Regarding foreign direct investment (FDI), both provinces have been attractive destinations for international businesses in recent years.

In 2023, Binh Phuoc approved 48 projects with registered FDI capital of USD 739.2 million and disbursed USD 399.9 million. Dong Nai, in comparison, approved 81 projects with registered and disbursed capital both at USD 467.3 million.

In terms of merchandise exports, preliminary data from the Customs Department shows Dong Nai’s export turnover in 2023 reached USD 21.62 billion, a 12% decline from 2022, but still ranked 8th nationwide in export volume.

Conversely, Binh Phuoc’s export turnover grew by 13.1% year-over-year in 2023, reaching USD 4.7 billion.

Tam An