Da Nang has achieved positive economic growth after five-year implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution No. 43 on building and developing Da Nang to 2030, with a vision to 2045. The Resolution has identified the long-term orientation and opened up lots of opportunities for Da Nang. In addition, it has created a breakthrough in the mechanism that helps drive the city’s economic growth. Among them are strategic orientations for developing hi-tech industry in the city, developing the city into a start-up and innovative hub in Viet Nam, and the new urban of science, technology and innovation at the international level with the high competitiveness among Vietnamese localities.

Da Nang aims to become one of the major socio-economic centres in Viet Nam and Southeast Asia at large, a big smart, creative city with its own identities with a vision to 2045. A corner of Da Nang is viewed above. Photo: TRIEU TUNG

Furthermore, the city has set an ambitious goal to be a start-up and innovative hub in Viet Nam with promoting the applications of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, and applying biotechnology in the food processing sector. The aim is to add such plans as developing innovation-driven growth model and new growth drivers, increasing the attractiveness of investment, maximizing the city’s investment resources, giving priority to attracting strategic and key investors. All these things will help the city realize its goal to be a socio-economic hub in Viet Nam and Southeast Asia.

Apart from developing hi-tech industry, Da Nang is focusing on developing logistics services and seaports, making it a marine economic hub in Viet Nam in line with the city’s policy that has been accelerated in recent years. In particular, The city has also accelerated its project "Developing logistics services in Da Nang to effectively connect with the Key Economic Zone in Central Viet Nam and the East - West Economic Corridor for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050". As a result, Da Nang has yielded positive outcomes in its investment strategies and improvements in its transportation infrastructure networks with a focus on developing large and modern projects in a bid to provide adequate space to meet the needs of modern commercial development of the city, as well as developing synchronous infrastructure to enhance inter-regional connectivity, reduce traffic jams, and create a driving force for socio-economic development in the region.

In recent years, ICT, or information and communications technology in Da Nang achieved a high growth rate, and has gradually become one of the city's key economic sectors. Da Nang has been honored with the ‘Viet Nam Smart City 2023’ award for 4 consecutive years from 2020 to 2023 by the Vietnam Software and Information Technology Services Association (VINASA). The positive results have been mainly attributed to great efforts of the city to stay on top of the latest trends and best practices in the fourth industrial revolution by promoting the application of science and technology in IT, electronics and telecommunications sectors associated with creating a digital and smart city in the right direction.

The tourism sector plays an important role as a driving force of economic development in Da Nang. Therefore, heed is paid to developing high-quality tourism services with a boom in the development of resort properties in an effort to turn Da Nang into a leading tourist destination of the regional level, and an event destination of the international level.

To maximize the resources offered through the Resolution No. 43, the city continues its efforts to become a hub of culture, education, specialized and high-quality healthcare service in Viet Nam associated with effective implementation of the city’s social welfare policy in order to realize its goal of making it one of best cities to live in Viet Nam . Importance has also attached to raising the city’s poverty line through effectively implementing poverty reduction policies to help poor households get access to basic social services, including education, health services, housing programs .

In recent years, the city has taken advantage of the municipal government’s support in implementing dynamic and key projects to enhance regional connectivity, thereby promoting its role in the development of Key Economic Zone in Central Viet Nam and Central Highlands.

Moreover, the city is implementing a project to develop it into a financial hub at the regional level in addition to building a non-tariff area so that the city has a basis to develop projects and propose mechanisms and related policies to drive its growth. Special attention is paid to continuing to implement projects to relocate the city’s railway station, redevelop urban areas, upgrade passenger terminal T1 and related infrastructure at the Da Nang Airport, renovate and upgrade a section of the National Highway 14B running through Da Nang, build the Da Nang University Village, dredge the Co Co River, and more.

The national government along with ministries and national government agencies are working together to make adjustments and supplements to the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 119 on adopting urban governance models and a number of specific development mechanisms and policies in Da Nang on a trial basis, thereby creating specific mechanisms and policies for Da Nang to help it tap into its full potential, create breakthroughs, and remove obstacles and bottlenecks to promote its social and economic development, contributing to achieving its goals to 2030 with a vision to 2050 as set in the Politburo’s Resolutions No. 43 and No. 26 on promoting socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security in the North Central Coast and the Central Coast of Viet Nam to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

The resolutions identified two groups of specific mechanisms and policies, regulations on adopting urban governance models in Da Nang, and creating a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the city on a trial basis to help drive its growth.

The intention is to build an urban governance model in Da Nang in a streamlined, an efficient and effective manner to meet the city's development requirements in a dynamic and creative direction in the context of new era. In addition, the aim is to  maximize all available resources for sustainable development of Da Nang, contributing to building a strong, streamlined and effective political system, promote people's right to mastery, and building a civilized and modern city.

Reporting by HOANG NHUNG – Translating by H.L