With the orientation of developing science, technology and innovation as a driving force for breakthroughs, along with many solutions, Da Nang is promoting diplomacy in this field to attract investment, expand international cooperation and participate more deeply in the global supply chain.

Da Nang leaders and international delegates visited the City Partnership Forum - Da Nang 2025. Photo: T.PHUONG

In order to concretise the Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, the city has been concentrating on connecting with large tech corporations, and having a plan to attract overseas intellectual resources and issue policies to lure investment in this field with outstanding incentives.

Science and technology diplomacy: A key task

At the recent City Partnership Forum - Da Nang 2025 (Meet Da Nang 2025), the city's leaders identified economic diplomacy as the spearhead, and the promotion of science and technology diplomacy as the focus. At the same time, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW which mentioned strengthening international cooperation in the development of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation.

With the spirit, the city's foreign affairs sector proactively and actively advised local leaders to connect leading corporations and enterprises in the fields of hi-tech, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence to Da Nang to seek investment and cooperation opportunities.

As a result, the city's foreign affairs sector connected and chaired working sessions with over 80 large organisations and corporations in the world, and with related partners in the field of semiconductors and AI, such as Qualcomm, Marvell, Synopsys, Nvidia, Swiss Entrepreneurship Program, Sovico, Oregon State University (the US), and Arizona State University (the US).

To seize opportunities in this field, the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs advised the People's Committee to organize "Meet Da Nang 2024", “The City Partnership Forum - Da Nang 2025”, and “Semiconductor Da Nang Day 2024”. Each event was a good opportunity for the city to connect with the world, and to introduce its potential, advantages as well as readiness and pioneering in developing the hi-tech, semiconductors and AI fields.

During the city leaders' business trips abroad, the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs coordinated with relevant agencies to carefully prepare and include the content related to science and technology in the working programmes for the city leaders to discuss with foreign partners.

In November 2023, Da Nang Party Secretary cum Head of the city’s National Assembly Deputies’ Delegation Nguyen Van Quang led a city delegation to the United States to work with leading US corporations in semiconductor design such as Synopsys, Nvidia, Marvell and Intel.

The working trip took place right after the joint statement on upgrading the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Viet Nam and the United States in September 2023. Especially in the joint statement, Viet Nam and the US decided to strengthen science, technology, and digital innovation cooperation, regarding this as a new breakthrough of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

This shows that Da Nang is very proactive and sensitive in seizing opportunities to develop the hi-tech and semiconductors industries. Since then, the city has continuously organised many working delegations to the US, South Korea, Japan and some European countries to exchange experiences, and appeal for investment in the fields of semiconductors, AI, and IT. As a result, the Marvell Technology, Inc. decided to open a chip design office in Da Nang, whilst the Synopsys Vietnam Co., Ltd. opened its new office in the central coastal city.

As of March 2025, the city has had 19 newly registered chip design enterprises, including 12 FDI ones. To date, the city has signed many international agreements and minutes with foreign partners and investment projects in hi-tech fields.

With the goal of making economic diplomacy the centre of foreign affairs, In which, science and technology diplomacy must be the central task of economic diplomacy in the new-age diplomacy, the city is making efforts to breathe new life into on-site investment promotion activities, as well as creatively and skillfully turning diplomatic events and festivals into ideal bridges for foreign strategic investors to meet and learn about investment opportunities in the city's hi-tech and IT sectors.

In particular, within the framework of the Viet Nam - Japan and Viet Nam - Korea Festival in 2024, the city hosted a seminar on tourism promotion, and investment attraction and cooperation in semiconductors in Da Nang and a workshop on prospects for ICT investment cooperation between South Korea and Viet Nam.

In addition to doing a good job of advising, proactively connecting and attracting international investors, the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs has been involved in attracting overseas intellectual resources and coordinating with other sectors to invite overseas experts, scientists and managers who are holding important positions in Intel Corporation and Synopsys International Limited to return to the country, and signed Memoranda of Understanding with the city to promote cooperation in training human resources for microchip design and AI in the city.

In the coming time, the city will promote and enhance multilateral diplomacy in the fields of science, technology and innovation. The focus will be on connecting and joining innovation networks in the world's leading innovation centres such as Singapore, South Korea, Australia, China, the US, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Ready to appeal for strategic investors

Aside from promoting, connecting, and attracting businesses to the city to survey and explore investment opportunities, the city has paid attention to upgrading infrastructure, and training high-quality human resources to retain "eagles" to stay and build houses, and take root with the city to develop semiconductors and AI ecosystem. Currently, the city concentrates on three main pillars: infrastructure, human resources, and policies.

As for technology infrastructure, Da Nang is now home to a high-tech park and three concentrated IT parks. The infrastructure of international fiber optic cable networks, electricity, transportation, and logistics fully meets the requirements of investors operating in semiconductors and AI industries.

According to the leader of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, the city provides electricity with a stable system, with a capacity of 99.95%, ensuring that all production and business activities of enterprises currently operating in concentrated IT zones are not interrupted or have sudden power outages.

Along with that, human resources in the semiconductor and AI industries continue to be a major concern for businesses. At the meeting on March 13 with the Japan - Viet Nam Cultural and Economic Exchange Committee under the International Friendship Exchange Council (FEC), the city leaders shared that Da Nang is fostering the training of high-quality human resources.

Recently, the Da Nang Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence Center for Research and Training (DSAC) has been established. The city has cooperated with universities in the US, Japan and South Korea, and large corporations such as Synopsys, Marvell and Nvidia to train and develop human resources in these fields. It sets a target of training at least 5,000 semiconductors and 3,000 AI engineers by 2030.

Notably, on May 13, 2024, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 79-KL/TW on continuing to implement Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW on building Da Nang by 2030, with a vision to 2045, in which the semiconductors and AI industries is identified as one of the five important industry groups, creating a breakthrough for the growth of Da Nang in the coming time.

Immediately after that, on June 26, 2024, the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 136/2024/QH15 on the organisation of urban government and piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Da Nang, opening up opportunities to implement outstanding preferential policies for strategic investors and partners in the abovementioned fields.

These include a personal income tax exemption policy, a corporate income tax exemption policy for innovative startups, a policy to support training costs in the semiconductors industry, and a policy to attract experts and scientists.

With a science and technology diplomacy strategy combined with reasonable preferential policies, Da Nang is gradually affirming its position as one of the hi-tech centres in Viet Nam. Thanks to its initiative in promoting investment, attracting talents and completing infrastructure, the city accelerates the development of science, technology and innovation, and creates a driving force for sustainable growth in the coming years.

Reporting by THANH PHUONG - Translating by M.DUNG