Đà Nẵng eyes smart and green growth

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà (centre) joins the announcement of the Government’s approval of the Master Plan of Đà Nẵng for the 2021-30 period, with a vision toward 2050. Photo courtesy of Quốc Dũng

ĐÀ NẴNG — The central city of Đà Nẵng will play a key role as a driving force for the urban growth of the central coastal and Central Highlands region, as a centre of start-up and innovation and a unique international coastal and port urban area.

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà made this remark at the ceremony to announce the Government’s approval of the Master Plan of Đà Nẵng in the period 2021-30, with a vision to 2050, held on November 25.

He said the city had an impressive growth course in the past decades, and the Master Plan expects to create a breakthrough in its development of a centre of innovation, trade, finance, logistics, hi-tech industries, supportive industries, information technology (IT) and regional sea and port-based economic power.

“The plan would create opportunities and new space for the city’s socio-economic growth on the basis of sea and air ports, hi-tech, innovation, logistics, international finance hub and eco-tourism,” Hà said.

“The city should speed up administration reform and e-Government in building a ‘smart’ urban area with ‘green’ growth, circular economy and digital economy,” he said.

The deputy PM urged Đà Nẵng issue ‘green’ standards for luring renewable energy and hi-tech investment, building economic links with neighbouring provinces and cities in the region.

“Đà Nẵng will be focusing on human resources education and technology applications for semiconductor manufacture and processing industries in building a liveable city and a destination worthy of investment and sustainable development in the region,” he urged.

The city should continue monitoring biodiversity protection and the ecological system in dealing with climate change and high sea level, he added.

Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee Lê Trung Chinh said the Master Plan would help the city seek new development targets of key tourism, IT, environmentally-friendly waste treatment and renewable energy.

Thuận Phước Bridge spans the Hàn River in Đà Nẵng. The city plans to be a regional and international centre of logistics, finance and hi-tech. Photo courtesy of Trần Lê Lâm

The city started the building of a new Liên Chiểu Port as the national integrated port, and an international entrance and international-standard logistics centre for Việt Nam, ASEAN and the Asia Pacific region.

At the ceremony of announcement of the plan, Đà Nẵng granted investment licences to seven investment projects worth VNĐ9.3 trillion (US$372 million).

Chairman of FPT Group, Trương Gia Bình said Đà Nẵng should be a ‘silicon valley’ in Việt Nam and a centre of semiconductor manufacture after the successful growth of software industries in the past decades.

He said FPT Group is training 17,500 students for IT industries and hosting the move of semiconductor production.

Trịnh Thanh Lâm, marketing and business director of Synopsys, said Đà Nẵng would be a centre of semiconductor and hi-tech as land area for industries is limited.

He said the city is able to supply labour forces for the booming semiconductor industry in the world.

A cargo ship docks at Tiên Sa Port in the central city of Đà Nẵng. The city focuses on sea-based economic growth in the plan to 2030, with a vision to 2050. Photo courtesy of Đà Nãng Port

Lâm said the city’s leadership had a positive tour to Intel, Marvell Technology Group and Synopsys in the US, calling for co-operation and investment in building the city as a global semiconductor manufacturing centre.

James Lee, general director of Taiwan’s Foxlink International company, said the investment environment of Đà Nẵng fits with the company’s investment plan in Việt Nam in the next 20 years.

He said an electronics factory investment project worth US$135 million at Đà Nẵng’s Hi-tech Park would start operation in its first stage in 2024.

James Lee said the full operation of the factory would create $1 billion revenue, and commit to boosting ‘green’ industries in Đà Nẵng and heading toward the zero carbon target set by the government of Việt Nam.

Mega Market Việt Nam Director Regis Delesque said it will build a shopping and entertainment complex on 19,000sq.m in Liên Chiểu district with an investment of $20 million, aiming to develop 48 distribution centres Việt Nam in 2027.

A worker checks a production line at an electronics factory in Đà Nẵng's Hi-Tech Park. The city eyes boosting the park as a 'green' hub in central Việt Nam and global investment destination. Photo courtesy of Trung Nam Group

He said the company has been completing procedures and preparation for construction of the complex for operation in the first half of 2025.

Also at the event, a Letter of Intent (LoI) was presented for the co-operation between the University of Đà Nẵng and Portland State University in training human resources for the semiconductor industry. VNS