A delegation from Đà Nẵng City join an investment and tourism promotion event in Malaysia. Đà Nẵng has been seeking co-operation and investment from Malaysia in their free trade zone, finance, healthcare and tourism. — Photo courtesy of Diệu Hằng

ĐÀ NẴNG — The central city of Đà Nẵng is actively fostering connections and inviting investment from Malaysia to collaborate on various initiatives, including its international finance centre, a free trade zone, tourism, digital transformation, and healthcare.

Additionally, a new air route connecting Đà Nẵng and Kuala Lumpur is set to commence on September 24.

The new route will be operating with seven flights per week by Malaysian Airlines, making it the third route on Đà Nẵng-Kuala Lumpur route after Air Asia and Batik Air, meaning an increase to 28 flights per week.

Vice chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, Nguyễn Thị Anh Thi said at a working visit with the Vietnamese embassy in Malaysia, that Đà Nẵng hopes to build links with the southern state of Malacca, with investments in finance and healthcare management.

Thi said Đà Nẵng needs experience sharing from Malaysian partners in building the Malaysian International Financial Centre at Tun Razak Exchange and the free trade zone in Port Klang Tanjung Pelepas.

Đà Nẵng plans to build a free trade zone and the establishment of municipal authority – the first ever of its kind in Việt Nam – with an international finance centre to attract investment over the coming decades.

A tourism promotion event was held by the city’s tourism foundation with the participation of 100 travel agencies from Đà Nẵng and Malaysia, offering more exchange tours.

Malaysian tourists are listed in top ten of international travellers to Đà Nẵng with 75,000 visitors in the first seven months of 2024.

Đà Nẵng City’s tourism department will reserve thousands of vouchers for tourists visiting the city in the last months of 2024.

Last month, Malaysia introduced a tourism promotion programme – ‘Discovery Malaysia' – in Đà Nẵng and HCM City. Malaysia currently welcomes 146 flights from Việt Nam every week.

A visitor poses for photo on the beach of Đà Nẵng. The central city will seek for more visitors from Malaysia with a new daily air route Kuala Lumpur-Đà Nẵng starting on September 24. — Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng City's Tourism Promotion Centre

Đà Nẵng has drawn 18 investment projects from Malaysia with total US$222 million, the city’s investment promotion agency reported.

The new air route will connect tourists to the UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites in central Việt Nam including Huế Monuments complex in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and Hội An ancient town in Quảng Nam Province with destinations in Malaysia, according to the city’s Tourism Fund. VNS