A group of Da Nang’s leaders, led by municipal Peoples’ Committee Vice Chairman Ho Ky Minh, attended the 2017 World Cities Summit (WCS) Mayors Forum in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China between 17 and 19 May. 

Vice Chairman Minh (2nd right) and other Forum attendees

The annual Forum took the theme ‘Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Embracing the Future through Innovation and Collaboration’, and was a flagship event of the WCS.  It was jointly organised by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

The event focused on urban planning and management, heritage and culture, sustainable environments, and the balance between growth and liveable elements.  It aimed to map out creative integrated urban solutions for a better and more sustainable future for local people and the private sector.

On the sidelines of the Forum, Vice Chairman Minh met with representatives from the Secretariat of the ‘Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize’, which honours outstanding contributions towards creating liveable and sustainable urban communities around the world.  Under the prize’s rules, the laureate city always has the privilege of hosting the annual Mayors Forum. 

Da Nang is the only locality in Viet Nam chosen by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be nominated for this notable prize in 2018.  Encouragingly, the city has passed the preliminary qualifying round of the award, and it is now busy preparing for the next round.

Vice Chairman Minh briefed representatives from the Prize Secretariat on his city’s characteristics and strengths which can meet the prize’s criteria. 

He highlighted that, over recent years, Da Nang has focused on developing information technology, transport infrastructure, educational facilities, and healthcare services, as well as promoting environmental sanitation and wastewater treatment.  Importance has also been attached to enhancing administrative reforms and implementing such meaningful social welfare campaigns as the ‘City of 4 Safe Programmes’, and the ‘5 No's, 3 Yes's’.  Most notably, the municipal authorities have taken effective measures to promote its internal strengths and uphold consensus amongst local residents to further the city’s growth.

During their stay in China, the Da Nang delegation had a working session on 16 May with representatives from the authorities of Shaanxi Province.  Also on the same day, a tourism promotion programme was successfully organised in Xian City.  This programme aimed to advertise Da Nang’s great tourism potential and products to travel agencies, tourism associations and tourism businesses from Xian City.

As part of the programme, representatives from the travel associations of the 2 localities together entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bolstering bilateral tourism cooperation in a bid to attract more visitors to each other in the years ahead.  In particular, it was announced that direct Da Nang-Xian flights would open in the future.