“Da Nang is a young citywith positive policies on boosting economic development and foreign investment.But the city has yet to take full advantage of its central coastal position anda rendezvous point of north and south Vietnam,” Thien said in his presentationto the workshop held last week.
“The city has not developeda link between beach and mountain tourism and tourism to other destinations inthe central region,” he said.
Thien suggested that thecity’s leadership consider how to develop Da Nang as a regular world centre ofexhibitions and fairs to attract tourism, trade and investors – as places likeDubai and Bali did. He said Da Nang lacks a world standard entertainment andshopping centre to boost luxury tourism and spending.
Vice Chairman of the city’sPeople’s Committee, Dang Viet Dung, said the city had significant developmentachievements since it separated from Quang Nam Province and came under thedirect control of the central government 20 years ago, along with the maincities of Hanoi, HCM City, Hai Phong and Can Tho.
Dung said the city’seconomic restructuring resulted in industry and service accounting for 97 percent, and agriculture for only two per cent.
He said the city’s GrossDomestic Product (GDP) brought in nearly 50 trillion VND (2.2 billion USD) in1997-15, with a stable growth of 10.47 per cent annually.
Dung, however, admittedthat the city’s economy was small scale, with 95 per cent being small andmedium-sized businesses and with investment capital under 500 million VND (22,000USD), each.
“The city will aim todevelop high-tech agriculture and industry, tourism and services, logisticswith good connections among the airport, deep sea port, north-south expresswayand railway system in 2037,” Dung said.
Deputy Secretary of thecity’s Party Committee, Vo Cong Tri, said the city had turned from being a slumin the Son Tra Peninsula to being a beach tourism destination in just 20 years.
“The city will eye tourismas a major source of revenue for its budget, That’s the reason the People’sCouncil decided to build Da Nang as a livable city in terms of four criteria –social security, traffic safety, food safety and social welfare – in the2016-20 period,” Tri said.
Last month, the citysubmitted an adjustment to its master urban plan for 2030-2050 to theGovernment, with an aim of developing Da Nang as a green city by 2025, and aneconomic hub of the central region and a driving force for boosting developmentof the central and Central Highlands regions.
The Government issuedspecial regulations concerning investment, budgetary status anddecentralisation for Da Nang.
Da Nang also plans to buildan underground traffic system with road tunnels and a metro system in thecoming years.
As planned, the city willinclude six inner districts and two suburban districts of Hoa Vang and Hoang SaIsland, with an expected population of 2.5 million.
The city will be developedon 128,543ha, of which the Hoang Sa (Paracel) islands cover 30,500ha.
Da Nang, situated at theend of the East-West Economic Corridor linking Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam,will reserve a 130ha centre for finance, banking, trade and services, and a3,700ha coastal service area.-VNA