According to the Da Nang  Master Plan for the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050 recently approved by the Vietnamese Prime Minister, Da Nang will focus on promoting training, research, development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) to make it become a key economic sector making an important contribution to digital economic development. The city will promote the development of an AI application ecosystem, pilot a regional AI research, transfer, development and application centre in the city.

FPT Corporation has chosen Da Nang as one of the Vietnamese locations to invest in research and development of artificial intelligence. Photo: GIA PHUC

Da Nang will basically complete digital transformation process, turning itself into a smart city, belonging to the group of 3 leading localities in digital transformation, information security, and e-commerce in Viet Nam. The average growth rate reaches 10%/year.

The city will promote comprehensive digital transformation in the field of press, radio and television content production, form digital platforms in the network environment, and encourage common use of multi-service digital platforms. Heed will be paid to developing digital postal services, digital freight platforms, and business development on mobile commerce (M-commerce) platforms.

Along with that, Da Nang will focus on developing the IT, electronics and telecommunications into a key economic sector with an annual revenue growth rate being 2-2.5 times higher than the city’s GRDP growth rate in tandem with forming concentrated IT and software park chains, creating links in researching and mastering technology and producing digital technology products.

Greater efforts will be exerted to promote research and development of key IT products, prioritise the development of software industry, digital content production, IC design and production, and provision of IT services. Viet Nam has a competitive advantage and export potential.

The city's digital technology industry will be developed in the spirit of combining creative self-reliance and selective international cooperation. Special heed will be paid to researching, developing and applying controlled testing mechanisms and policies (sandbox), promoting training, research, development, testing and application of AI to make it a key economic sector that will make an important contribution to digital economic development.

Measures will be taken to develop IT  and digital technology enterprises capable of leading and mastering technology, participating in the digital economy, building smart cities, e-government, and applying digital technology in socio-economic fields and implementing national digital transformation.

Interactive digital technology platforms will be developed for people to participate in solving problems of socio-economic development, political security, and social order and safety. Also, the Cyber Security and Safety Operations Centre will connect to the Cyber Security Monitoring and Operations Support System to serve the national Digital Government, and the Cyber Security System to serve the National Digital Government.

Previously, Plan No. 163 on IT Industry Development in Da Nang by 2030 issued by the Da Nang People's Committee set out the goal of developing the digital economy to contribute at least 20 % of the city's GRDP, in which the information and communication technology industry accounts for at least 10% of the city's GRDP by 2025.

By 2030, the digital economy will account for at least 30% of the city's GRDP, with the IT industry accounting for at least 15% of the city's GRDP. There will be at least 8,950 digital technology enterprises with a total of 115,000 technology workers.

The average growth rate of IT industry revenue in the 2021 - 2030 period will reach 10%/year.  The growth rate of software export revenue in the period 2021-2030 will hit 12%/year. Da Nang is now home to at least 7 information technology parks and software parks.

The industrial master plan aims to build Da Nang into one of the high-tech industrial and supporting industry centres of the country. The city will transform the industrial structure in the direction of gradually reducing land- and labor-intensive manufacturing industries with low added value, and limit and gradually eliminate manufacturing industries that cause environmental pollution.

The proportion of manufacturing industries and fields with high technology and knowledge content, high added value, and environmental friendliness  will be enhanced.

Specifically, high-tech industrial fields including microelectronics technology, chip and semiconductor chip technology, precision mechanics, mechanics - electronics, optoelectronics and automation; environmental technology, new energy technology will be given a push. New material technology and nanotechnology will  become the mainstream industry.

Attention will be paid to priority industrial sectors including automobile industry; aviation industry; yacht industry; electronics industry, mechanical manufacturing; pharmaceutical chemistry and cosmetics industry; food and beverage industry towards crystal production and processing. The fashion industry is associated with model design and other processing and manufacturing industries with high added value.

The growth rate of the processing and manufacturing industry will reach an average of over 12% per year. Supporting industries will be strengthened, focusing on production and supply fields for priority industries and high-tech industries, creating conditions for the formation and development of industry clusters.

Reporting by GIA PHUC - Translating by A.THU