ĐÀ NẴNG — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc yesterday asked all stakeholders to find solutions to problems that have bedevilled the Đà Nẵng University Village project for the last 20 years.

On a working visit to the Đà Nẵng University, the PM told the Ministry of Education and Training, Đà Nẵng City and Quảng Nam Province, as also other agencies to clearly lay out all difficulties so that the Government can take final decisions to end the long delay.  

He urged ministries and two localities to speed up land clearance so that construction can recommence soon.

“We should put an end to the delay. I’ve agreed that mid-term loans must be given for land clearance in order to build the University Village as an urban hub for the Central and Central Highlands regions,” Phúc said.

“Local administrations should play their role in speeding up the land clearance process and resettlement project for local residents,” he said.

He also asked ministries and local administrations to affix responsibilities of related agencies that have delayed the project.

The PM said Đà Nẵng University should develop as one of the top 50 universities in ASEAN, and a key human resource centre for the central and Central Highlands regions.

He advised the university to build up a strategy that will enhance its contribution to national socio-economic development and make it a forerunner in innovation and reform.

The university should overcome all challenges to become a leading, reputed centre for international scientific research and a favoured rendezvous for scholars worldwide, boosting international co-operation.

The PM agreed with the university establishing a teachers’ training college for engineering as well as the Việt Nam-United Kingdom University.

Phúc also visited the Đà Nẵng Technology College yesterday and presented 110 scholarships to poor students.

20-year stalemate

Work on the VNĐ1.7 trillion (US$75.2 million) Đà Nẵng University Village project, which covers  300ha in Quảng Nam’s Điện Bàn Town and Đà Nẵng’s Ngũ Hành Sơn District, began in 1997, but only two hostels, two lecture halls, some sections of a wall and inner traffic roads have been built.

The project had completed a resettlement area on one hectare, but only two of 100 households were relocated. In total, about 2,000 households in the area have to be resettlement.

Director of Đà Nẵng University, Trần Văn Nam said the project owner – the Ministry of Education and Training Centre – lacked funds while commencing the project.

He also said the project delay has led to unstable lives for local residents, not to mention time and money wasted on land clearance.

Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, Huỳnh Đức Thơ, said the project needs VNĐ165 billion ($7.3 million) for land clearance for 71ha in the Đà Nẵng area.

Đinh Văn Thu, chairman of the Quảng Nam People’s committee, said the province had cleared 130ha of land, and needed VNĐ5 billion ($221,000) for the remaining 60ha.

He also said local residents in the area have been suffering poor living conditions for the last 20 years and the project should be completed soon.

Deputy Minister of Investment and Planning, Đàm Văn Thu asked Đà Nẵng University to complete legal investment procedures as well as a detailed list of buildings for expedited approval.

The university should function on its own finances after five years of being subsidised by the State Budget, said Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam.

He hoped the Đà Nẵng University would take the lead in innovation and reform in Việt Nam, succeeding in becoming financially self-sufficient.

The  university, which has developed 12 college-level education centres in the last 20 years, trains 90,000 students in technology, engineering, science, economics, trade, finance, foreign languages, medicine, culture, tourism and media studies per year. — VNS