In the context of deep international integration, Da Nang has established friendly cooperative relations with a total of more than 50 localities of 24 countries and many major partners all over the world. At the same time, the central coastal city has successfully organised many international forums and large-scale foreign affairs events so that international friends can see Da Nang as an integrated, dynamic and creative city, thereby, gradually affirming its position as a major socio-economic centre of the country, and the Southeast Asian region at large.

Affirming the growth pole and integration

Da Nang is the first locality to issue the Project on International Integration and Cooperation by 2030. The project points out the bloc of countries, markets and potential fields with which Da Nang can focus on promoting ties by 2030. At the same time, it identifies the goal of helping the city take advantage of external resources, promote internal resources to develop strongly in the period from now until 2030 and fully tap the role of a key growth pole, closely connecting with provinces and cities in the region, leading the Central Viet Nam and Central Highlands regions for mutual development, contributing to the overall stability of national security, the overall growth of the national economy,  enhancing the quality of social life of people from all walks of life.

This shows that Da Nang clearly demonstrates the internationalization, dynamism and innovation of a major socio-economic centre of Viet Nam, aiming to become a major city in Southeast Asia in the spirit of Conclusion No. 79-KL/TW of the Politburo on continuing to implement Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW of the Politburo (12^th tenure) on developing Da Nang by 2030, with a vision towards 2045.

Every year, Da Nang welcomes about 300 international delegations and about 10 delegations of the city leaders take oversea business trips. These visits and work trips not only strengthen the foreign relations between Da Nang and its partners but also provide an opportunity to attract FDI, enhance the position and image of the city at home and abroad.

A typical example was the working trip to Switzerland led by Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Le Trung Chinh on the occasion of accompanying Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to attend the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos (Switzerland) from January 20 to 23, 2025.

Here, the Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee had a working session with the leaders of Sygnum, the world's first regulated digital asset bank, Mr. Philipp Rosler, the founder of Concessor AG, along with large investment funds and financial institutions in Switzerland such as UBS Bank, and Maerki Baumann Bank...

Previously, at the end of November, 2024, Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Le Trung Chinh led a working delegation to visit and work with organisations and businesses in New York and Washington DC, the United States to promote economic cooperation, especially in the field of semiconductor chips.

Now, the presence of leading US semiconductor companies such as Synopsys and Marvell in Da Nang is the clearest evidence of the city’s potential and opportunities to deeply participate in the global semiconductor supply chain.

Addressing The City Partnership Forum - Da Nang 2025, US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Susan Burns expressed that Da Nang has done very well in connecting localities around the world, including building relationships with cities in the United States. In 2024, the city's leadership delegation visited and worked in New York and San Francisco, the United States. Da Nang is increasingly affirming its position on the international cooperation map.

The City Partnership Forum - Da Nang 2025 attracted the participation of 500 domestic and international partners. In particular, many international agreements were signed between Da Nang and partners, foreign investment projects.

Outstandingly, Da Nang signed cooperation agreements with the cities of Aktau (Kazakhstan) and Genoa (Italy), helping the city expanded its international cooperation map with a sum of more than 50 localities of 24 countries and territories worldwide. International cooperation not only takes place at the city level but also at the district, county, and sector levels with many memorandums of understanding inked with many foreign localities.

According to Director of the Da Nang Department of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Xuan Binh, Da Nang is not only proactive in international cooperation but also an active and responsible member of multilateral organizations such as the Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Settlements, (CityNet), the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG) for Sustainable Coastal Development and the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO).

In particular, the city's leaders have performed well in their role as chair of PNLG; coordinated the PNLG General Assembly meeting in Xiamen City (China) on November 7, 2024. Through this, the image of Da Nang is increasingly known to international friends as a dynamic and active locality.

Da Nang continues to prove to international friends that it is a modern city, an attractive, safe, green, clean, beautiful and friendly destination. Proudly, Da Nang captured the second place in Conde Nast Traveller (CN Traveler)'s list of the 11 best places to visit in Asia in 2024.

In recent years, the city has organised many international cultural and sporting events such as the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF), the Da Nang International Marathon, the IRONMAN 70.3 Viet Nam Competition; the Da Nang Asian Film Festival; the Asian Golf Tournament; the Viet Nam - Japan Festival, Viet Nam - South Korea Festival... These events have left beautiful impressions in the eyes of international friends, contributing to affirming the position of ‘Da Nang as the leading destination of events in Asia’.

Entering a new era of development

On June 26, 2024, the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 136/2024/QH15 on the organization of urban government and piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Da Nang. The Resolution officially took effect on January 1, 2025, marking an important milestone in the city's development process with new development driving forces such as free trade zones, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, startups and innovation.

Most recently, the Politburo issued Notice No. 47-TB/TW concluding on the construction of a regional and international financial centres in Viet Nam. Specially, the Politburo agreed to the policy of building a regional financial centre in Da Nang. This is a new field for the city, but it is a breakthrough strategy in economic and financial development contributing to enhancing the role, position, prestige and influence of Viet Nam in the international arena, preparing for the new era of the nation’s rise.

To realize this policy, on January 16, Da Nang organised an international workshop ‘Developing international financial centres in Viet Nam". The workshop recorded many opinions from state management agencies, strategic investors, organisations, financial institutions, investment funds, domestic and foreign experts and scientists on specific policy mechanisms for the early formation and development of international financial centres in Viet Nam.

Mr. Ali Ijaz Ahmad, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Singapore-based Makara Capital showed his interest in the establishment of the Da Nang Financial Centre. Da Nang should study and build a financial centre model combined with innovation. This will be a difference as compared to others in the world and attract many more strategic partners that are willing to seek investment opportunities in the city.

Mr. Ali Ijaz Ahmad affirmed that he will send his leading experts to Da Nang to support the city in realizing the international financial centre project. At the same time, he committed to investing in the field of innovative startups in the city.

Da Nang identifies economic diplomacy as a spearhead, promoting science and technology diplomacy as the focus. With the special policy mechanism and incentives assigned by the Central Government for Da Nang such as building the Free Trade Zone, the International Financial Centre and other preferential policies for science and technology, innovation, digital infrastructure and emerging industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, the city's international cooperation will accelerate, making breakthroughs towards substantive and effective cooperation based on the interests of all parties. Da Nang is positioned as the growth pole and the international integration pole of the central region of Viet Nam, so it is necessary to mobilize resources in trade and investment, update development trends and economic linkages, and utilize the strength of the era of scientific and technological revolution, digital transformation, and knowledge economy as a foundation to promote the city's rise in the new era.

Reporting by THANH PHUONG – Translating by A.THU