On Thursday, the 21^st Congress of the Da Nang Party Committee (PC) for the 2015 - 2020 tenure officially opened at the city’s School of Politics, 34 Ho Nghinh street. 

The event is being attended by 350 delegates representing the 50,000 Party members across the city.  Amongst the attendees, 57 are women and 50 are under 40 years old.  The oldest delegate is 68 years old, whilst the youngest is 28.  Twenty-one of them have Doctorates and 135 are holders of Master's degrees.

In attendance on the opening day was State President Truong Tan Sang, along with representatives from central ministries and agencies, and some leaders from Da Nang and Quang Nam Province.

President Truong Tan Sang (centre right) was warmly welcomed by the delegates

The participants observed a minute's silence to commemorate the late municipal PC Secretary Nguyen Ba Thanh who had made great efforts towards the city’s progress.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the municipal PC Secretary and People’s Council Chairman, Mr Tran Tho, affirmed that his city’s remarkable achievements over the 2010 - 2015 tenure can be mainly attributed to the effective leadership of the Party Secretariat and the consensus between the local authorities and local residents.  He took the opportunity to ask the delegates to propose effective solutions to help the city further its development.

Secretary Tho

On behalf of the Politburo, President Sang praised the great efforts made by the municipal Party, local government and people in making Da Nang one of the nationwide localities with a high rate of growth over recent years.

The State leader stressed the need for the city, as an economic hub in the central region and highlands, to take the lead in economic development, industrialisation, modernisation and international integration in order to promote regional development. 

He added that the focus should be on promoting local cultural development, accelerating administrative reforms, enhancing Party building, and strengthening the unity of the nation.  Importance should be attached to making greater efforts to develop Da Nang into a more civilised and modern city equal to other large cities in Southeast Asia.  He expressed his belief that the Party and people of Da Nang would exert every effort to overcome their difficulties to successfully fulfil the targets set by the Congress.   

Participants at the event

According to a report from the Presidium Board of the 20^th municipal PC Congress, the city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) is likely to have hit an estimated 45.885 trillion VND, 1.6 times higher than in 2010.  GRDP per capita is estimated at around 62.65 million VND, equivalent to 2,908 USD and nearly double that of 2010.

The city has given top priority to promoting the development of its maritime economy in combination with ensuring the country’s sovereignty over its sea and islands.  Recent years have also seen positive results in the city’s foreign and internal affairs with the establishment of cooperative relations with numerous domestic and international partners.

Numerous security and social welfare policies have been implemented effectively in the city.  The city’s ‘5 No's, 3 Yes's’, ‘Year for Urban Culture and Civilisation’ and ‘Building Da Nang into an Environmentally-Friendly City’ programmes have created its own identity. 

During the 2015 - 2020 period, the focus will be on making Da Nang become one of the country’s largest cities, and an economic, cultural and social hub in the central region and highlands.

Today’s proceedings featured elections for the PC's Executive Committee for the 2015 - 2020 tenure, and the selection of delegates to attend the 12^th National Party Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam.