The Asia institute of City Management (AiCM), which had commissioned a year-long study on Da Nang, recently announced that the budding coastal city is the most liveable place in Viet Nam.

The My Khe Beach in Da Nang . Photo ivivu.com

The institute had commissioned the study to understand the development and challenges this city faces.

Unlike the larger metropolises of Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, which have much older infrastructure, Da Nang has the advantage of starting afresh, a press release from the institute said.

The terms ‘liveability’ and ‘vibrancy’ are some of the mantras that city leaders continue to refer to in motivating and guiding the thinking of their city officials.

“There is a constant challenge in being able to achieve a balance of both. Da Nang is one of the fastest-growing cities in Viet Nam, and was identified in our 2004 assessment of innovative city leaders in Asia,” the study said.  

“It is this refreshing and innovative approach we wish to observe and comment about on this dynamic city,” Shanmuga Retnam, ED of AiCM, said.

Da Nang, nestled between the more popular Hoi An and cultural Hue City, spans an area of 1,285 sq.km, with an estimated population of 1 million people in 2014, and aspires to reach 1.5 million people by 2020, and 2.5 million by 2030.

This is a qualitative perspective to focus on issues that are important to the people and contribute to their well-being.

The institute, operating as a social enterprise founded in Singapore, with representative presence in both Da Nang and Ha Noi, carried out a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative research with the private and public sector within the city.

Asia Institute of City Management deployed faculty on the ground to interview stakeholders from industry from the Da Nang Young Entrepreneurs’ Association, the Hai Chau District Businesses’ Association, the city’s Hi-tech Park, and the municipal Socio-Economic Development Research Institute, in addition to the city’s Business Incubators Centre, the World Bank, the UN Habitat, and the Da Nang University of Science and Technology.

(Source: VNA/ DA NANG Today)