Da Nang City - A Future Major Tourism, Service Centre in Central Vietnam

On the occasion of the 30^th anniversary of Da Nang city’s liberation, ViB Forum interviewed Hoang Tuan Anh, chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee.

Da Nang city is considered as a driving force and a key economic region in Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands. What has the city done to develop such an important position?

Da Nang is located in the centre of Vietnam as a gate to the East Sea of the countries in the Mekong river sub-region, with deep water seaports, international airport, railway, road and waterway. The city has various natural and geographic conditions, in particular beautiful beaches, for developing tourism. To develop its position as a driving force and a key economic region in Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands, Da Nang has to maintain its economic development tempo and make a breakthrough in the future, mobilising all resources from different economic sectors, Vietnamese and foreign individuals and organisations.

Over the past three decades, Da Nang has recorded great achievements. Having promoted economic restructure in a manner of service, industry and agriculture with a concentration on tourism, Da Nang has gradually completed the development of infrastructure facilities and focused on developing tourism into a spearhead sector, so as to become a major tourism and trade exchange centre in Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands.

In 2004, the city organised many activities for tourism promotion and approved many programmes to gradually solidify its resolutions. The programme on ‘Developing tourism and services in which Da Nang city has great potential to build the city into a major trade, service, and tourism centre in Vietnam’ was approved and implemented in early 2004. Concrete projects and plans carried out in 2004 for tourism development include the planning of the Son Tra peninsula, the southern region of Non Nuoc and the Co Co River. This has helped the city call for more investment. In addition, three new hotels with 182 rooms became operational, bringing total number of hotel rooms in the city to 2,584 rooms.

Investment attraction has seen a rapid change for the better. So far, 28 projects have registered with a total investment capital of VND 3,500 billion plus US$180 million. The Da Nang People’s Committee has approved total area and planned to carry out many projects. Many projects have been carried out or are ongoing. These include the Sandy Beach Resort, which meets four-star standard and the Suoi Luong-Nam Hai Van ecotourism site. Four major projects with a total investment of VND 1,000 billion are being carried out in the Son Tra peninsula. They are the Bai But site on 15 hectares with a total capital of VND 300 billion, the first phase of which will be completed in 2005; the Son Tra luxurious site on 19.5 hectares with a total capital of VND 500 billion; the Bai Trem tourist site on three hectares with a total of VND 50 billion. Also, foreign-invested projects are being implemented. These include the Paradise Resort with a total capital of US$24 million. The Hoa Ninh golf course of the Republic of Korea, the Bo Bien Bac tourist site of the US with US$86 million, the Millennium Resort of the US and the Daewoo Resort of the Republic of Korea.

In 2004, Da Nang attracted a lot of foreign direct investment and ODA (official development assistance) projects and continued to boost co-operative ties with 107 branches and representative offices of foreign-invested enterprises operating in the city.

Last year, the city was invited to join an alliance programme of nine exemplary cities in Asia. Da Nang successfully organised many external relation activities.  The city hosted the Vietnam-Thailand intergovernmental meeting, received the delegations of the Swedish King, the major of Daegu city of the Republic of Korea, the chairman and vice chairman of Yunnan province, China, over ten delegations of ambassadors and consuls from other countries and 95 delegations of foreign guests. Da Nang was the first city in Vietnam to open its representative office in Tokyo, Japan, which will act as a launch pad for the city to promote its image and call for investment.

 What advantages does Da Nang have for tourism development and co-operation?

Da Nang has plenty of advantages for developing tourism. Surrounded by world heritage sites and assets in Central Vietnam, such as the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the Hue ancient imperial city, the Hue royal chamber music, the Hoi An ancient town, the My Son sanctuary, Da Nang has favourable conditions to receive Vietnamese and foreign visitors via air, water, railway and roads. Also, the city has other advantages with various natural, climatic and geographic conditions, and especially, beautiful beaches.

In 2005, the city will boost the development of tourism by continuing to implement the programme on ‘Developing tourism and services in which Da Nang city has great potential to become a major trade, service, and tourism centre in Vietnam.’ Accordingly, one of the main tasks for Da Nang’s tourism sector is to diversify products, develop new tours and improve the quality of services. To this end, the city will restore the Ngu Hanh Son landscape, upgrade gardens, build more hotels, expand tourist sites and improve the services in the Suoi Mo site. In addition, the city will build the Son Tra attraction, the Dong Nghe-Phuoc Nhon mineral stream, the tourist site of Hai Van tunnel and the Co Tu ethnic minority’s village. Located in the centre of the region, Da Nang will continue to implement tourism programmes, including the ‘World Heritage Road,’ ‘Truong Son Legendary Path,’ ‘Happy Holiday – World Heritage Road,’ and the ‘Caravan Tour’ to Da Nang via road.

Tourism promotion activities have been organised in Vietnam and foreign countries with annual events, such as festivals and major anniversaries. The city has organised a Vietnam-Japan exchange programme and sent delegations to Singapore, Thailand, China and Taiwan for market exploration, as well as attending tourism fairs.

Da Nang’s people are capable of adapting to western civilisation and combine it with Vietnamese traditional culture to create a specific identity, thus helping the city during the international integration and development process.

Also, to develop the economy and tourism, local authorities have issued many policies and mechanisms to create favourable conditions and environment for investors. Departments and agencies have been asked to implement the ‘one door’ mechanism with simplified procedures, let alone the exemption and reduction land rent and tax as stipulated by the Government and the Da Nang People’s Committee.

How has Da Nang orientated the development of tourism and services as a spearhead economic sector?

Da Nang city has planned the development orientation of tourism and related services. Accordingly, Da Nang will become an attractive tourism city for Vietnamese and foreign visitors. The city is determined the achieve the target set by Resolution N⁰ 33-NQ/TW of the Political Bureau on ‘Building Da Nang city into a major city, a socio-economic, industrial, trade, tourism, service, scientific and technological, banking and financial, sport and cultural, education and training centre in Central Vietnam.

The city’s authorities will do their best to help the city maintain its socio-economic growth rate. Da Nang has succeeded in developing infrastructure and upgrading urban areas in the past few years and will continue to develop its advantages in the coming years.

• Reported by Quoc Tuan