Since the ‘Year for Culture and Urban Civilisation’ programme started implementing in Da Nang in 2014, more attention has been paid to boosting public investment in the tourism sector.

The General Science Library at 46 Bach Dang Street now provides perfect reading spaces for local residents to meet their increasing demands for cultural values and it promotes a healthy reading habit in the city.

There has been a year-on-year increase in the funding from the city budget for the cultural development projects.

In detail, a total of 50 billion VND from the city budget was spent on the cultural sector in 2015, and this figure increased to over 56.7 billion VND in 2016, over 71 billion VND in 2017, and 94.9 billion VND in 2018.

Recent years have seen the effective upgrade of such cultural works as the 29 March Park and the General Science Library and the Museum of Cham Sculptures, the construction of the Fine Arts Museum, and the construction plans for the soon-to-be-built Opera House and the municipal Cultural Centre.

One of the righteous decisions made by the city authorities to date is the rebuild of the General Science Library at 46 Bach Dang Street.

The already-upgraded venue now boasts a new look, and has attracted a growing number of visitors.

At a cost to the city’s budget of 50.88 billion VND, the rebuild of the library started in November 2014, and it opened to public in September 2015.

The spacious and modern library now provides perfect reading spaces for local residents to meet their increasing demands for cultural values and it promotes a healthy reading habit in the city.

Another important cultural project is the restoration, and embellishment of the renowned Dien Hai Citadel on Tran Phu Street is underway. This project is scheduled to be completed by late October at a total cost of over 102.7 billion VND.

Since the start of this year, a total of 80 families living near the citadel’s western walls have moved out of the site to their relocation areas. In addition, the construction of a storage centre in the northern side of the citadel has also halted.

The Museum of Da Nang will be moved out of the citadel site to the current headquarters of the municipal People’s Council at 42 Bach Dang, and the Cultural Square will be constructed, the citadel being at the central position.

The city has also seen an increasing number of cultural, sports and community entertainment facilities at ward, commune and district levels.

Currently, the city authorities are considering constructing new parks, bathing areas, and footpaths allowing beach-goers access to the beaches as soon as possible along coastal routes.

In particular, the city authorities are considering to grant an around 5,600m² land area on the corner of the Vo Nguyen Giap and Vo Van Kiet streets to the owners of 6,000m² of land which will be taken back in order to expand the existing APEC Park.

In a similar vein, the Ngu Hanh Son Cultural and Spiritual Park in the namesake district’s Hoa Hai Ward, and a park on the site of a delayed project with facades onto Nguyen Chi Thanh, Hung Vuong, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Yen Bai streets, will be constructed in the coming time.

At a meeting in April, municipal Party Committee Secretary Truong Quang Nghia underlined the significance of boosting investment in the cultural sector which lays a foundation for the city’s progress.

The city Party chief re-affirmed the city’s strong stance on promoting the economic growth in combination with ensuring cultural preservation.

In particular, sites which have been earmarked for the construction of soon-to-be-implemented cultural projects must be kept intact.