HÀ NỘI — The Asia institute of City Management (AiCM), which had commissioned a yearlong study on Đà Nẵng, announced that the budding coastal city is the most liveable place in Việt Nam.

The institute had commissioned the study to understand the development and challenges this city faces.

Unlike the larger metropolises of Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City, which have much older infrastructure, Đà Nẵng, in the centre of Việt Nam, has the advantage of starting afresh, a press release from the institute said.

The terms ‘liveability’ and ‘vibrancy’ are some of the mantras that city leaders continue to refer to in motivating and guiding the thinking of their city officials.

“There is a constant challenge in being able to achieve a balance of both. Đà Nẵng is one of the fastest-growing cities in Việt Nam and was identified in our 2004 assessment of innovative city leaders in Asia,” the study said.    

“It is this refreshing and innovative approach we wish to observe and comment about on this dynamic city,” Shanmuga Retnam, ED of AiCM, said.

Đà Nẵng, nestled between the more popular Hội An and cultural city of Huế, spans an area of 1,285 sq.km, with an estimated population of 1 million people in 2014, and aspires to reach 1.5 million people by 2020 and 2.5 million by 2030.

This is a qualitative perspective to focus on issues that are important to the people and contribute to their well-being. 

The institute, operating as a social enterprise founded in Singapore, with representative presence in both Đà Nẵng and Hà Nội, carried out a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative research with the private and public sector within the city.

Asia Institute of City Management deployed faculty on the ground to interview stakeholders from industry from the Young Entrepreneurs Business Association, Hải Châu Business District Association, Đà Nẵng Hi-tech Park, and Đà Nẵng Institute of Social and Economic Development, in addition to Đà Nẵng Incubation Hub, World Bank, UN Habitat, and the Đà Nẵng University of Science and Technology. — VNS