On Wednesday, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung met with Da Nang People’s Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho to discuss the city’s medium-term investment plans for 2016 - 2020, as well as to identify ways to appeal for more ODA capital and tighten the state management of this financial inflow.

The Hue T-junction overpass

Chairman Tho urged the Ministry of Planning and Investment to grant Da Nang over 4,211 billion VND from the State’s budget in order to allow the city to implement new urban development projects over the 2016 - 2020 period.  Of this figure, 400 billion VND will be spent on deploying some key infrastructure projects in preparation for the 25^th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit which will take place in Da Nang in October 2017.

The city leader also asked approval from the Ministry for the city to carry out the 2^nd stage of the Da Nang Maternity and Paediatrics Hospital project with the intention of reducing the current patient overload at the 600-bed hospital.  He also stressed the need for the Ministry to appeal for more ODA capital to fund the city’s projects.

With regard to local infrastructure projects which are now under construction, the Ministry was asked to urge the Japanese Embassy in Viet Nam to provide non-refundable aid for the city to build the Hoa Lien water supply plant with a daily treatment capacity of 120,000m³.

The around 3,400 billion VND Da Nang Water Environment Improvement Project will be deployed in the city soon.  Of the total costs of the project, 70% will come from the central government’s budget and the remainder will be from ODA capital from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Chairman Tho also suggested that the Ministry should help his locality to conduct pre-feasibility studies for new projects and appeal for more ODA capital for them. Included is the construction of the Lien Chieu Port, the relocation of Da Nang’s railway station to Lien Chieu District’s Hoa Minh Ward, and a solid waste treatment complex in Hoa Vang District’s Hoa Nhon Commune.

It was also proposed that the Ministry should grant Da Nang around 2,000 billion VND from the State’s budget to give to the constructor of the build-transfer (BT) Hue T-junction overpass which has already been put into use.

The city leader also took the opportunity to ask permission from the central government for the city to build new golf courses and industrial parks in the years ahead.

In reply, Minister Dung stressed the need for the city’s authorities to find effective ways to promote the development of some aspects in which the city boasts great potential and strengths. 

He remarked that greater efforts should be made to appeal for more businesses and large groups from both home and abroad to invest in the city.  Special heed should be paid to re-checking local land resources, enhancing administrative reform, and balancing the city’s budget to fund new projects instead of heavily relying on the central government’s budget.

As for the suggestions made by Chairman Tho, Minister Dung promised to continue appealing for more ODA inflows into Da Nang in the years ahead.