At an online meeting on Wednesday with Mr. Nagafuji Hideki, the Mayor of Sakai City in Japan, Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh affirmed the city always viewed Japan as its important and long-term strategic partner in many fields. Da Nang is now home to more than 215 Japanese-invested projects, enterprises, representative offices of Japanese companies.

Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh (left) and Mayor of Sakai City (Japan) Nagafuji Hideki co-chaired an online working session on Wednesday morning. Photo: VAN HOANG

Currently, Japan takes the lead among the city's foreign investors from 40 countries and territories worldwide. Since the city reopened its door for international visitors in March 2022, Japan has been one of the city’s priority tourist markets.

Chairman Chinh revealed that Da Nang eyed becoming one of the major socio-economic hubs of the country and Southeast Asia, in which, tourism and digital transformation are aspects that both Da Nang and Sakai are interested in.

The city leader emphasised that, Da Nang plans to organise many attractive and large-scale events and activities with new tourism products and services so as to promote the post-pandemic tourism recovery, thereby creating a vibrant and fresh atmosphere, and attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists to the locality.

As for the building of a smarter city, Da Nang strives to complete the synchronous connection with smart urban networks in the country and in the ASEAN region by 2030, he added.

Mr. Chinh undertook that Da Nang and Sakai had huge potential to develop multi-faceted cooperation in various spheres. He, therefore, stressed the necessity for both sides to improve the efficiency of support activities, promote economic cooperation, and boost exchange activities in the fields of culture - sport, education - training, and human resource in the coming time.

Importance should be attached to fostering the resumption of the Da Nang - Osaka air route in order to promote post-pandemic tourism recovery in Da Nang and Sakai as well.

Many issues were discussed by leaders of the two cities during online working session held on Wednesday morning. Photo: VAN HOANG

For his part, Mayor Nagafuji Hideki introduced his locality’s initiatives about digital transformation, smart city building, and measures to care for and protect the health of the elderly.

He vowed that Sakai is willing to support and share experience to help Da Nang access and apply advanced technologies in caring for the elderly.

He also remarked that he will do his utmost to appeal for more Japanese investors to visit and seek investment opportunities in Da Nang in the near future.

He also asked for help from the Da Nang authorities and the local business community to promote the resumption of the Da Nang - Osaka air route.

Mr. Nagafuji Hideki remarked that both Da Nang and Sakai shared many similarities in tourism and culture, so he stressed the need for the both sides to exploit each other and maximise the values in the field of tourism and culture for their future development.

The Mayor of Sakai city also expressed concern about people's consciousness after COVID-19.

In reply, Chairman Chinh was committed to protecting the health and safety of every visitor to his city. “Da Nang always takes timely measures to create peace of mind for tourists and investors when coming to the city” he noted.

Reporting by VAN HOANG - Translating by M.DUNG