Over the past years, Da Nang has flexibly and creatively carried out diplomacy activities in various fields with the aim to reinforce friendly relations with its partners and boost investment promotion, thereby significantly contributing to driving the city's economic growth.

Da Nang is focusing on strengthening economic diplomacy to attract more investment resources from outside to promote the city’s socio-economic development. IN THE PHOTO: On November 18, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Le Quang Nam (center) chaired the online 10th Da Nang Urban Development Forum to promote investment cooperation with Japan’s Yokohama City. Photo: TRIEU TUNG

Connecting international resources

Aside from having actively attracted domestic and foreign investment into its key projects, Da Nang has also carried out external work to connect international resources for promoting the city’s socio-economic development.

In fact, Da Nang has recorded many outstanding achievements in its economic diplomacy performances in recent years. Economic diplomacy has harmoniously combined with political and cultural diplomacy, thus making a practical and effective contribution to the city’s socio-economic development and its international cooperation.

In the last months of 2021, the city hosted a series of diplomatic activities virtually. The city leaders attended a number of events organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the aim of promoting the city’s socio-economic growth.

Specifically, on November 18, Da Nang coordinated with Japan’s Yokohama City to organize the 10^th Da Nang Urban Development Forum in an online form.

Speaking at the online event, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Le Quang Nam remarked many practical cooperation results between the two localities were achieved at the forum. During the event, Yokohama City appealed for Japanese investors to pour their money into Da Nang’s key projects, as well as shared its valued experience in the urban management work with Da Nang.

On November 23, 2021, the Da Nang authorities gave a nod to implement a 3-R (reduce, reuse and recycle) project in Da Nang during the 2021-2024 period.

As part of the bilateral cooperation programme with Japan’s Yokohama City on enhancing solid waste management and recycling in Da Nang, the VND15.63 billion project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA.

Also on the same day, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People's Committee Ngo Thi Kim Yen attended a conference entitled ‘Meet the USA: Partnering for Reopening, Recovery and Rebound in the Southern Economic Region’. The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US Embassy in Viet Nam, and the American Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam.

Such aforementioned economic diplomacy activities have positively contributed to promptly inform foreign partners and businesses about the city’s development orientations and its specific projects in the coming years.

Improving efficiency of international cooperation

To date, Da Nang has established friendly and cooperative relationships with 45 localities of 20 countries and territories all over the world. Many bilateral agreements have been signed and implemented with international financial institutions and business associations, foreign corporations in a bid to drive the city’s growth, especially bilateral cooperation in investment, trade and tourism.

The city has joined many international networks such as CityNet, Asia Pacific City Summit, and ASEAN Smart City Network, hereby raising the city's position in the international arena.

Over the past time, Da Nang has been one of the pioneers in developing a long-term strategic plan on economic diplomacy.

Recently, The Da Nang government has approved a project "Overall economic diplomacy in Da Nang during the period of 2021-2025".

Under the project, the focus will be on using existing resources and advantages to promote the development of the economic diplomacy, and boosting multilateral diplomacy to foster economic integration and exchanges.

Also, importance will be attached to mapping put effective methods of economic diplomacy to raise the efficiency of investment, trade, and tourism promotion activities in the new circumstances.

Greater efforts will be made to enhance the international integration capacity of agencies, individuals, and businesses in Da Nang, and set up linkages with overseas Vietnamese, experts, enterprises, and foreign partners to drive the city's socio-economic development.

Reporting by TRIEU TUNG - Translating by M.DUNG