During his meeting on Monday afternoon with New Zealand’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Viet Nam, Mr Haike Manning, the Da Nang People’s Committee Chairman, Mr Van Huu Chien, spoke highly of the fruitful educational cooperation between Da Nang and New Zealand.  He said that some of the city’s students, postgraduates and local government employees have been given New Zealand government-granted full scholarships to study at large universities in the country. 

Chairman Chien said that the city’s total export turnover to New Zealand in 2013 reached 1.6 million USD, with the majority of goods being seafood products, children’s toys, clothes, and handicrafts.  He said that his city has not yet, however, attracted any FDI projects from New Zealand. 

Ambassador Manning and Chairman Chien

The city leader asked his guest to appeal for businesses from New Zealand to invest in the city’s dedicated information technology and hi-tech industrial parks.  He also noted that special attention should be given to expanding bilateral cooperation in such aspects as tourism, trade and education in the near future.

Ambassador Manning remarked that the city’s dynamic growth, especially its modern urban infrastructure, has helped Da Nang become an economic hub in the central region.  He added that Da Nang topped the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) in 2013, which gives an impetus for New Zealand businesses to seek investment opportunities in the city.