Binh Phuoc Province

In the southern and western part of Vietnam, Cambodia forms the northern border of Binh Phuoc Province. To its south is Binh Duong Province, with Tay Ninh Province on its east. The western adjoining provinces are Dac Lac and Lam Dong.

From a waterway standpoint, it contains the Dong Nai, Be and Sai Gon rivers.

Its capital is Dong Xoai; other areas of military interest include Loc Ninh.

Strategic and historic

During the Vietnam War, it contained Binh Long and Phuoc Long Provinces. Palmer suggests that the fall of Phuoc Long Province, in January 1975, was the "first real crack" in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, a harbinger of the fall of South Vietnam.

Economy

When the province was reestablished from the merger of the earlier provinces, its economy improved significantly and is continuing to do so, although it has less infrastructure than other provinces in the same general area. In 1997, it had 5 government-owned and 176 private enterprises registered to capitalized at VND 35 billion. They were mostly small and tied to agriculture or crafts. By 2000, under a new Enterprise Law, there were a total 1,306 or 187 enterprises created per year. 31 foreign investment enterprises have a capitalization in excess of USD $100 million.

38,000 jobs were created in 2006, and taxes contributed around 70 per cent of State budget revenues in Binh Phuoc, or four times that in 1997. Infrastructure improvements included the creation of The province has formed eight industrial parks with a total area of more than 2,100 hectares, with facilities including:

• Binh Phuoc Cement Plant with a total investment of US$300 million, which will be completed in late 2007
• Srok Phu Mieng hydro-electric power plant with a capacity of 51 megawatts
• Can Don hydro-electric power plant with a capacity of 72 megawatts
• Thac Mo hydro-electric power plant with a capacity of 150 megawatts, which has officially connected with the national electric grid.
• on the spot construction material production capabilities