During his recent reception for a delegation of the Enterprise Singapore (ESG), led by its Chairman Peter Ong, Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho expressed his delight at fruitful results from the bilateral cooperation with Singapore over recent years.

Enterprise Singapore (ESG) Chairman Peter Ong (left) being warmly received by Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Huynh Duc Tho

As of 20 September, Singapore had been the largest foreign investor in Da Nang amongst those from 43 countries and territories worldwide in investment capital with over 720 million US$, focusing on brewery, beverage, real estate, construction, and healthcare.

In particular, the city has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) and the Sakae Holdings Ltd.

Under the agreement, a group of Singaporean investors recommended by the SMF and the Sakae Holdings Ltd will help the city to adjust its master urban plan towards 2030, with a vision to 2050. T

he focus will be on developing the Da Nang Bay area as the ‘Urban Area in the Sea’, and ensuring the sustainable development of the city’s port system, and implement some short and medium-term investment projects here.

Chairman Tho also asked for help from the ESG to assist the city in appealing for even more Singaporean investment in highly-potential infrastructure projects, especially in smart city building, and assist the city to connect with the Singapore-based Infrastructure Asia (IA), which support Asia’s economic and social growth through infrastructure development, to attract investment into these projects.

In his remarks, Mr Peter Ong said Da Nang boasts the great potential to develop itself into a smart city, and to promote the software and infrastructure development, and waste water treatment.

In particular, he underscored the need for the Da Nang government to create more favourable conditions Singaporean businesses which are interested in investing in the  Hi-tech Park and industrial parks in certain aspects to which the city plans to give the priorities in the coming time.

On the same day, during his meeting with Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Viet Nam Caitlin Wiesen, municipal People’s Committee Vice Chairman Dang Viet Dung, highly applauded the cooperation programmes between UNDP and the city government over recent years, especially in promoting the IT application in smart city building.

Da Nang People’s Committee Permanent Vice Chairman Dang Viet Dung (left) playing host to Ms Caitlin Wiesen, the Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Viet Nam

Especially, a project on building and applying chatbot into public services offered by the municipal Public Service Information Centre has proved its effectiveness and affirmed its important role in accelerating the building of Da Nang into a smart city.

The UNDP-funded 420 million VND project will be implemented in 2 phases with the focus on updating public administration data to chatbot, building a chatbot for Facebook messenger, and allowing the chatbot to operate on the local Public Service Portal.

Ms Caitlin Wiesen also praised the application of chatbot into public services as a highly effective model which can be expanded into to other Vietnamese localities in the years ahead.

In addition to specific cooperation programmes, Ms Caitlin Wiesen affirmed UNDP’s interest in cooperating with the city in such aspects as green tourism, health care and environmental protection.

Besides, UNDP is willing to promote coordination between the municipal government with Microsoft in offer training to local leaders and citizens on such topics as smart citizenship and Citizen 4.0 so as to raise public awareness of the IT application into smart city building process towards the sustainable development direction