My Khe Beach in Danang City. Photo ivivu.comThe institute had commissioned thestudy to understand the development and challenges this city faces.
Unlike the larger metropolises of Hanoiand Ho Chi Minh City, which have much older infrastructure, Da Nang, in thecentre of Vietnam, has the advantage of starting afresh, a press release fromthe institute said.
The terms ‘liveability’ and‘vibrancy’ are some of the mantras that city leaders continue to refer to inmotivating and guiding the thinking of their city officials.
“There is a constant challenge inbeing able to achieve a balance of both. Da Nang is one of the fastest-growingcities in Vietnam and was identified in our 2004 assessment of innovative cityleaders in Asia,” the study said.
“It is this refreshing andinnovative approach we wish to observe and comment about on this dynamic city,”Shanmuga Retnam, ED of AiCM, said.
Da Nang, nestled between the morepopular Hoi An and cultural city of Hue, spans an area of 1,285 sq.km, with anestimated population of 1 million people in 2014, and aspires to reach 1.5million people by 2020 and 2.5 million by 2030.
This is a qualitative perspective tofocus on issues that are important to the people and contribute to theirwell-being.
The institute, operating as a socialenterprise founded in Singapore, with representative presence in both Da Nang andHanoi, carried out a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative research withthe private and public sector within the city.
Asia Institute of City Managementdeployed faculty on the ground to interview stakeholders from industry from theYoung Entrepreneurs Business Association, Hai Chau Business DistrictAssociation, Da Nang Hi-tech Park, and Da Nang Institute of Social and EconomicDevelopment, in addition to Da Nang Incubation Hub, World Bank, UN Habitat, andthe Da Nang University of Science and Technology.-VNA
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