Over the past time, Da Nang has always made a good impression on international friends.

President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga made the statement during a meeting on Friday with the municipal People’s Committee to review the city’s people-to-people diplomacy.

Da Nang People's Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen (left) presenting a souvenir to President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga

In her remarks at the meeting, municipal People's Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen said that Da Nang identified people-to-people diplomacy as one of the three pillars of foreign policy, creating the synergy of Viet Nam's foreign affairs.

Vice Chairwoman Yen hoped that VUFO will guide the Da Nang Union of Friendship Organisations (DAFO) to propose professional activities and submit them to the municipal People's Committee for deployment.

According to President of DAFO Nguyen Ngoc Binh, till date, Da Nang has established friendship and cooperative relations with 47 localities of 22 countries and territories around the world, and has 103 signed agreements that are in effect.

The city has hosted 2,776 delegations of international guests who have visited and worked with leaders of the city, and local government departments and agencies.

The position and role of Da Nang is increasingly enhanced in bilateral cooperation with localities along the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) and ASEAN countries, as well as in multilateral cooperation in international forums, and major international organisations.

Da Nang has chaired and hosted many regional and world-scale conferences and seminars, thereby contributing to promoting the city's image in the international arena, and at the same time consolidating, enhancing and developing people-to-people friendship and cooperation with international friends.

The central coastal city has gained numerous remarkable achievements in mobilising aid from international non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Currently, 99 foreign NGOs in Da Nang have their valid operating registration certificates in Da Nang, of which 33 organisations have set up their offices in the city.

Between November 30, 2021 and November 30, 2022, the whole city received 34 new grants and 4 adjustment grants with a total committed budget of more than US$3.5 million. Also, the city received nearly US$1 billion from NGOs in support of overcoming the consequences of natural disasters.

The disbursement value of the committed aid in 2022 was US$446,253. From December 1, 2022 to March 10, 2023, Da Nang mobilised and received 8 programmes and projects with a committed budget of more than US$4 million.

The city's people-to-people diplomacy is evenly deployed on all four fronts: political diplomacy, economic diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and overseas Vietnamese work.

Reporting by XUAN HAU - Translating by M.DUNG