During his reception on Tuesday for the Principal Investment Officer of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in East Asia and the Pacific, Mr Jesse Ang, Da Nang People’s Committee Vice Chairman Ho Ky Minh underscored that Da Nang is aiming to become an environmentally-friendly and ‘smart’ city.

Vice Chairman Minh (right) warmly receiving Mr Jesse Ang

The city is now paying special attention to building a synchronous infrastructure system, developing such major aspects as tourism, trade, logistics services, seaports, and IT and hi-tech industries, and perfecting the infrastructure at the city’s Hi-tech Park and Software Park to attract more domestic and FDI inflows.  In particular, the city authorities are also showing a keen interest in developing eco-industrial parks (EIPs) in a bid to secure the sustainable development of environmentally-friendly industries, as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate change mitigation.  Encouragingly, Da Nang is one of only 3 Vietnamese localities selected by the national government to convert their existing IPs into EIPs on a trial basis in the years ahead.

Vice Chairman Minh said he would like IFC to continue providing the city with consultancy services and financial assistance to implement cooperation projects in those aspects in which the 2 sides show a keen interest.  Included are transport infrastructure, especially public transport, renewable energy sources, and the construction of EIPs.

In reply Mr Jesse Ang proudly remarked that IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries.  This institution applies its financial resources, technical expertise, global experience, and innovative thinking to help its partners overcome financial, operational, and political challenges.  In particular, IFC offers advice on the deployment of public-private partnership (PPPs) projects in waste water treatment, renewable energy development, and other related fields in many large cities worldwide.  Interestingly, these are the aspects which IFC is now considering for cooperation programmes in Da Nang in the near future.

He also hoped that the city authorities would facilitate his agency to conduct pre-feasibility studies for new practical projects in the city in the years ahead.

Fully concurring with his guest’s proposals, Vice Chairman Minh asked representatives of the relevant local agencies to meet with IFC’s experts for discussions on the deployment of possible cooperation projects in the near future.