The governments of Da Nang and Japan’s Yokohama City co-organised the 12^th Da Nang Urban Development Forum in the city on Tuesday.

Delegates at the forum

Speaking at the forum, People's Committee Vice Chairman Le Quang Nam emphasised that Da Nang and Yokohama set up their cooperative relationship in 2013. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on technical cooperation for sustainable urban development.

He highlighted the significance of the forum in providing the good opportunities for leaders of the Da Nang and Japanese locality to share their experience and ideas about sustainable urban development.

Mr. Nam informed that Da Nang has chosen Yokohama as a model city to absorb valuable experience in seaport development and operation, urban planning, and sustainable development. He took the opportunity to thank Yokohama for its active support for Da Nang to carry out a number of strategic projects in recent years.

Vice Chairman Nam highly appreciated issues of deep concern presented in the 12^th Da Nang Urban Development Forum, including eco-industrial parks, domestic solid waste management, smart urban development, the United Nations' Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs), and business connection between Da Nang and Japanese businesses.

The city considered the ideas and solutions proposed by delegates, experts, and businesses from Yokohama as an important source of data for the city to conduct research and make plans and policies, aiming to build a sustainable development city.

He also requested Yokohama, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the World Bank (WB), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), to support Da Nang to research underground space, call for investment in a modern waste treatment plant in the form of socialisation, take plastic waste control solutions, make overall assessment of the drainage system, and create a flood map.

He also voiced his hope that the Japanese side will provide consulting support or find consultants with rich experience in building an urban development model centered on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) for the city.

Consul-General of Japan in Da Nang Yakabe Yoshinori spoke highly the fruitful cooperation results in various aspects between Da Nang and Yokohama over the past time.

He emphasised that Yokohama was a typical example for Da Nang to follow in order to realise its long-term development goals.

He pledged that the Consulate General of Japan in Da Nang will provide maximum support for the two cities to develop in the coming time.

Mr. Hashimoto Toru, Director General on Development Cooperation of Yokohama, shared that over the past decade, Yokohama has shared a lot of knowledge about urban development with Da Nang. In addition, the Japanese locality has joined hands with the central coastal city of Viet Nam to carry out a project on building Da Nang into environmentally friendly city for the 2021-2030 period, and a project on upgrading equipment at water plants to reduce carbon emissions, and making plans for energy saving practices.

Mr. Hashimoto Toru also wished that Da Nang will become one of the leading cities in the Asian region to work together for sustainable development and a carbon neutral society. This will help Da Nang promote its image and attract more investment and support resources for its future growth.

Mr. Hashimoto Toru proposed Da Nang study the Minato Mirai 21 model as a model for urban reconstruction and TOD model building, especially the construction of seaports and airports.

He also requested JICA, WB and ADB to support Da Nang to boost its development in accordance with the announced plans.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP - Translating by M.DUNG