In line with the Prime Minister-approved adjustments to the strategic master plan for major developments in Da Nang to 2030, with a vision to 2045, the city has mapped out its central area, which serves as the heart, the centerpiece and soul of this municipality.

A view of the planned site for the Central Square, which will be characterised by architectural works representing the city’s modern and radical development associated with its time-honoured history and culture.

Urban core

As planned, the city centre area will consist of parts of Hai Chau and Son Tra district, revolving around the current city inner and its expansion parts, plus along the eastern bank of the Han River.

Covering a total area of about 631ha, the city centre area will be bounded by the route Hoang Dieu - Ong Ich Khiem - Dong Da - the overpass over the Han River - Van Don - Tran Thanh Tong - Vuong Thua Vu - Vo Nguyen Giap - Nguyen Van Thoai - Tran Thi Ly Bridge - Duy Tan route.

The characteristics of this urban centre will be commerce, tourism operations and historical values.

The planned urban design targets at turning Da Nang’s urban centre into a ‘tourism magnet’.

The centre will feature easily - accessible sites via a network of river / seaside promenades, green corridors and pedestrian streets.

The main venues in the aspects of culture and history will feature the downtown museums of Cham Sculpture, Da Nang and Fine Arts, plus the Military Zone 5 branch of the Ho Chi Minh Museum, and the Dien Hai Citadel.

With regard to public administration and commercial activities, there will be  the highly- potential Central Square, the An Hai Bac Ward-located CBD Trade Centre An Don, Song Han Port, Vo Van Kiet Street-nestled Gateway Da Nang and other projects.

The commercial highlight is the Con market associated with the Hung Vuong commercial street.

In the category of open spaces and parks, the 2 September Park, the APEC Park, the Nguyen Van Troi pedestrian bridge, the Chi Lang Stadium and other sites will be the most noticeable.

The urban design orientation will feature a comprehensive transport system connecting important sites in Da Nang with one another, including three Light Rail Transit (LRT) / Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, a public bus network and an inland waterway system with integrated multimodal transport junctions.

The iconic Han River serves as a connector for sites designed in the city centre

Central Square

The Central Square will be one of the highlights of the city centre. Covering an area of 9ha in a unique landscape close to the iconic Han River, the central square will become a symbolic public space for local dwellers and an urban vision showcasing Da Nang's identity.

As designed, this project borders Bach Dang, Tran Phu, Quang Trung and Ly Tu Trong streets.
For the sake of the project implementation, an underground passageway on a section of Tran Phu Street between its intersections with Quang Trung and Ly Tu Trong, and an underground parking will be developed.

In addition, surrounding buildings such as the Da Nang Administrative Centre are encouraged to properly change their functionalities for better integration with the Central Square project.

Noticeably, the Square is vividly characterised by architectural works representing the city’s modern and radical development associated with its time-honoured history and culture.

Amongst the prominent architectural works are Dien Hai Citadel, the soon-to-be-rebuilt Da Nang Museum at 42 Bach Dang, the Da Nang Administrative Centre, Novotel Hotel, the city’s Architecture Planning Exhibition Centre, a cellar parking site, underground passageways and the Song Han (Han River) Port.

As for its spatial organisation, the so-called 11ha ‘living museum’ complex will be considered a unique tourist attraction allowing visitors to experience the past and present lifestyles of the Da Nang people in an authentic spatial setting.

In order to reconcile with the requirements of more open spaces with higher density, the  ‘living museum’ will be bounded by the Hung Vuong - Phan Chau Trinh - Hoang Dieu - Le Dinh Duong - Trung Nu Vuong - Tran Binh Trong - Ngo Gia Tu route.

In particular, a multi-storey parking garage is highly recommended to be constructed at the boundary of the ‘living museum’ complex in a bid to meet parking needs, reduce traffic obstacles along the aforementioned route, make streets more pedestrian-friendly and also importantly, facilitate the organisation of nore exciting public activities.

Reporting by TRIEU TUNG – Translating by A.T