Danang

Located on the coast of the South China Sea, Danang is a major port city in the South Central Vietnam. It is the fourth largest city in Vietnam after Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong, with an area of 1,256 square kilometers and a population of 867,500 people. Situated nearly equidistant from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Danang is at the end of the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC), which stretches over the countries of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.

Danang is classified as an industrial zone with port facilities to handle container traffic; a number of light industries are located in the city as well. In 1991 Danang became one of the four independent municipalities in Vietnam (Vietnam now has five independent municipalities). As a result, the city has had very fast annual economic growth at an average of 11 percent to 12 percent. The city's main economic output includes seafood, furniture, household goods, clothing and tourism. The provincial GDP per capita in 2008 is around US$1,200.

With regards to attracting foreign direct investment, by the end of 2008, Danang attracted 143 projects with the total registered capital of US$2.55 billion. The growth of FDI in terms of the number of new registered projects is 40 percent per year over the last ten years, higher than the average growth of the country of 34 percent annually.

In 2008, Danang, for the first time, passed southern Binh Duong province to lead the nation in the year's provincial competition index (PCI) that was jointly released by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Vietnam Competitiveness Initiative project. The latter is sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The PCI has been carried out the since 2005, and aims to assess economic development based on the business environment for the private sector in provinces and cities. The PCI takes into account ten sub-indices that capture key elements of the local business environment that are directly influenced by the actions and attitudes of provincial authorities. These include input costs, proactivity of local leadership, labor training, transparency and access to information, state sector bias, private sector development services, land access and security of tenure, legal institutions, informal charges and time cost of regulatory compliance.

Danang is the largest educational and training center in Central Vietnam, and the third largest center for learning in the country after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The city has a total of 15 universities and institutes; 17 colleges and numerous vocational training schools. There are over 200 schools at all levels providing thousands of skilled laborers for companies and organizations operating in Danang and the surrounding regions. 

Transportation

Air: Danang International Airport, located at the center of the city, is the third international airport in Vietnam (together with Noi Bai in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City). It is an important gateway to access Central Vietnam, as well as the Central Highlands. The airport has domestic connections (connecting Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Quy Nhon, Tuy Hoa, Buon Me Thuot, Pleiku and Cam Ranh), and a limited number of international routes (Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul and Osaka).

Sea: Located at a favorable position in regional sea routes, Danang is 310 sea miles from the port of Haiphong, 520 sea miles from the port of Saigon, 480 sea miles from the port of Macau, 550 sea miles from Hong Kong, 720 sea miles from Manila, 960 sea miles from Singapore, 1,030 sea miles from the port of Taipei, and 1,060 sea miles from Thailand's main port. It takes only two days for commodities to be shipped from Danang to other countries in the region such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Danang harbor is the third largest seaport in Vietnam with an average of 15-20 meters in depth and can harbor ships of around 28,000 tons and over 220 meters long. Danang harbor includes three ports: Tien Sa, Lien Chieu and Han River.

Rail: Danang is one of key hubs of the North South Railroad of Vietnam. There are five stations in the city: Danang, Thanh Khe, Kim Lien, Hai Van and Hoa Chau.

Road: The main roads running through and connecting Danang to key destinations are:

• National Highway 1A: linking Hanoi to the North and Ho Chi Minh City to the South;
• National Highway 14B: linking South Central coast provinces and the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

 Industrial parks in Danang

Currently, Danang has eight industrial parks that are either operational or in the process of becoming so. The six parks currently open are An Don, Danang, Hoa Cam, Hoa Khanh, Lien Chieu, and Danang Sea Product Service. Two industrial parks are calling for investment in infrastructure, including the Danang High Technology Industrial Park and the Danang Information Technology Industrial Park which are expected to come online by the end of the year.