An aerial view of Da Nang city at night (Photo: VNA)Da Nang (VNA) – From a small citywith an underdeveloped economy, Da Nang has made several breakthroughs andturned itself into one of Vietnam’s most livable cities since the Politburoissued a resolution on its development 15 years ago.
In November 1996, the province of Quang Nam-DaNang was separated into Da Nang city and Quang Nam province.
On October 16, 2003, the Politburo issuedResolution No. 33 on the building and development of Da Nang city during thenational industrialisation and modernisation period.
Secretary of the municipal Party CommitteeTruong Quang Nghia said shortly after the issuance, the city’s authoritiesissued detailed documents and built action plans to implement Resolution No.33.
Over the last 15 years, the city has recordedcomprehensive socio-economic development and obtained many importantachievements, he noted.
The gross regional domestic product (GRDP) hasincreased by about 10 percent annually in the five years between 2013 and 2018– with estimations of 63.96 trillion VND (2.8 billion USD) this year, 4.2 timeshigher than in 2003. Per capita GRDP is expected at 82.8 million VND (3,677USD) in 2018, rising seven-fold from 2003 and 1.45 times higher than thenational average.
Aside from economic development, Da Nang hasalso paid attention to ensuring social security. The city now has over 5,400patient beds, equivalent to 79.17 beds per 10,000 people, and 17.4 doctors per10,000 people. About 96.5 percent of the local population have been covered byhealth insurance, rising by 2.9 times since 2003.
Nghia added that Da Nang has almost fulfilledthe goals of a city without poor households. It has also achieved certainoutcomes in efforts to eradicate issues such as homelessness andstreet-begging, drug addiction, and murder for robbery.
Meanwhile, many large, modern structures have nowbeen completed and put into use, becoming architectural highlights of the city.Technical and social infrastructure has developed rather synchronously, helpingto expand the urban space by over three times since its size 15 years ago, creatingan image of a civilised and modern port city.
Da Nang is also one of the prime examples oftourism development over the last two decades, according to Deputy GeneralDirector of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu.
My Khe beach - a popular tourist attraction in Da Nang (Photo: VNA)He said local tourism has broken many recordswith the surging numbers of domestic and foreign tourists, as well as the continuouslydiversified tourism services and products. The industry has greatly contributedto economic restructuring, investment attraction, job creation, and the preservationand promotion of traditional cultural values.
At a working session with municipal authoritiesin last month, Nguyen Van Binh, Politburo member and Chairman of the PartyCentral Committee’s Economic Commission, said Resolution No. 33 is considered asthe committee’s most important decision regarding Da Nang.
In the 15 years of resolution implementation, DaNang has achieved a number of outstanding successes, including relativelycomprehensive socio-economic development and effective economic restructuring.
Binh noted that the city has graduallyestablished itself as an important national and international transportgateway, a socio-economic centre, and a growth locomotive of the central andCentral Highlands regions. It has also set an example of how to better integrateinto the world.
To build on existing attainments, Da Nang hasset up tasks to further promote local development. Accordingly, it is pushingahead with fast and sustainable socio-economic expansion and economicrestructuring. Economic development will be based on the three pillars ofservices, high-tech industry, and sea-based economy.
It will also pay more attention to Partybuilding; improving leadership capacity and the strength of Partyorganisations, along with the quality of officials and Party members in theadministration; promoting the efficiency and effectiveness of the State’smanagement activities; and seeking a suitable administration model.
The city has asked the Politburo to considerissuing a resolution on building and developing Da Nang until 2030, with avision towards 2045. It has also called for special mechanisms and policies tobe provided for the city, and obstacles in legal documents to be removed tohelp with its development.
With its own efforts, central agencies’ supportand people’s consensus, Da Nang is striving to become an ecological and smartcity with modern technical and social infrastructure by 2030. It also looks tobecome a dynamic port city, a transit point, and an economic, IT, and educationaland medical hub of the region, while also playing a major role in ensuringdefence-security and firmly protecting the national marine sovereignty. –VNA
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