Urban competition from identity and long-term vision

In the context of increasing urban competition, especially in Southeast Asia, Da Nang needs breakthrough strategies and policies to enhance its competitiveness, aiming to become a livable city and an important economic and financial center of the region.

Da Nang aims to become a livable city. Photo: DANG MINH TU

In practice, Da Nang’s urban competitiveness has many advantages but also faces great challenges. To improve its position, the city needs to have long-term strategic development orientations, focusing on technology, smart cities, high-quality human resources and building a sustainable urban brand.

Differentiated competitive strategy

Each city has its own advantages and strengths, and these advantages and strengths form its uniqueness. Cities differ in terms of apparent strength (existing capacity) and potential strength (hidden capacity); in terms of natural resources and human resources; in terms of history, culture, lifestyle, and even indigenous activities.

It is these different factors that create the unique identity of the city. Only by recognizing these different values ​​can we develop competitive advantages (which other cities do not have and will never have). That is the difference that each city government needs to identify, perceive and develop a competitive strategy regarding industry structure, development trends, etc.

Obviously, the difference must be based on comparative advantages, from the policy support (of the Central and local governments) and the people, culture, and lifestyle of Da Nang. Therefore, Da Nang does not compete with the model of a metropolis or a super city, but can differentiate itself by focusing on developing in the direction of an ecological - smart - humane urban area, ensuring the highest quality of life for residents and tourists, maintaining and developing the "brand" of a "worth-visiting, worth-living" city; a city of "5 no's, 3 yes's, 4 safe", a city of social security and human security.

In its competitive strategy, Da Nang also needs to differentiate itself in tourism development. How to promote traditional values ​​while at the same time linking them with modern values ​​and creating the brand of a “festival city” with world-class cultural and sporting events; becoming a destination for international conferences and exhibitions; strongly developing medical tourism, resort tourism, green tourism, and “healing” tourism.

Da Nang aims to become a livable city. Photo: DANG MINH TU

Developing in a green, sustainable and smart direction

In order for Da Nang to become a highly competitive city in the country and Southeast Asia, a comprehensive development strategy based on four pillars is needed: Sustainable urban economic development; promoting technology and innovation; improving the quality of human resources; building a modern, green and livable living environment.

For the sustainable urban economic development strategy. It is necessary to orient the urban economic model in the direction of both promoting advantages and linking it with smart cities. It is necessary to shift from a model (mainly) based on tourism - services to a self-reliant knowledge and creative economy. It is necessary to develop high-value industries such as high technology, finance, logistics services, e-commerce. From there, create new growth drivers for the digital economy, green technology, and smart cities.

To do so, it is necessary to develop high-tech industrial clusters such as building the Da Nang High-Tech Park to become the leading technology center in Southeast Asia. Increase the attraction of large technology corporations (Google, Samsung, Tesla, Apple) to invest in chip production, AI, blockchain.

Upgrade Tien Sa Port into a modern deep-water port that can compete with Singapore. Develop maritime and railway logistics routes connecting ASEAN. Quickly complete the project on the International Financial and Trade Center, gradually building a cashless city model.

Second, technology development and innovation strategy. Take advantage of the 4.0 industrial revolution to build Da Nang into a pioneering “Smart City” in Vietnam. Form a “Silicon Valley Da Nang” to create an environment for technology startups to develop. Promote the digital economy and e-commerce by encouraging businesses to transform digitally, apply AI and blockchain in production and logistics; develop a cashless payment ecosystem, and digitize the economy.

Third, a strategy for developing high-quality human resources. Developing an advanced educational ecosystem and training digital human resources. Having a mechanism to attract international talents and Vietnamese people working abroad. Building policies to attract talents and create an attractive working environment. To "have attractiveness" and create a competitive brand, Da Nang should boldly form an "innovation valley" model, a place where startups and research institutes converge.

Fourth, the strategy to develop a modern, green and livable living environment. To enhance competitiveness to achieve the goal of "livable city", Da Nang needs a strategy to form a leading green - ecological - smart city in Asia. It is time to consider building a subway system, BRT connecting the entire city. Deploy electric cars, public bicycles, reduce personal vehicles. At the same time, it is necessary to increase green space, gradually forming a "garden city" with 50% of the urban area being green space.

Centralization of some industries and fields

A city, on a certain level, is like a human body or an economic entity (company, enterprise): if resources are dispersed and strengths and weaknesses are not seen, it will be difficult to develop sustainably. In other words, it is necessary to determine a direction of specialization, focusing on developing a profession (or group of professions) with the city's (locality's) strengths to improve competitiveness and urban development.

For many cities in our country, due to many historical conditions and development philosophies, determining and promoting the strategic development direction of "centralizing" one or several specific fields and industries, strengths associated with the city's advantages are still not clear.

For example, when talking about Hai Phong, we are talking about a "Port City", but gradually this "advantage" is no longer a characteristic because most of the later developed cities "have ports"; when talking about Ho Chi Minh City, we acknowledge a dynamic city with pioneering and oriented export processing zones. Although this city is still "characteristic" in terms of industrial development, production and export processing, it is no longer a "strength" of strategic competitiveness because besides that, many other cities and localities are also "capitals of industrial and export processing zones". In fact, in our country today, there is a phenomenon of "industrial park investment boom in many localities".

Obviously, not clearly identifying the "key" advantages and spreading investment will cause competitiveness to not be promoted, even losing direction and being unsustainable.

In the context of increasingly fierce urban competition, choosing a strategy to concentrate appropriate industries and fields will help Da Nang create a distinct competitive advantage, avoiding being "dissolved" in the overall development of the country. Positioning the city based on strategic economic pillars not only helps optimize resources, but also creates a strong attraction for domestic and foreign investors, businesses and talents.

From the reality and advantages of Da Nang, it can be "seen" that there are four directions that Da Nang can consider for development in the new era: Digital technology & AI; Digital finance & Fintech; Tourism & International events; Logistics & Seaports.

It is important to understand that each sector has its own development potential, but in terms of short-term effectiveness, Da Nang can focus on tourism and international events, because this is an industry with a ready foundation and can develop rapidly with appropriate policies. However, in terms of long-term strategy, the city needs to invest heavily in digital technology and AI, because this is a field that has the potential to create sustainable breakthroughs, helping Da Nang rise to a leading position in the digital economy of Vietnam and the region.

If a strategy of concentration in key areas is effectively implemented, Da Nang can not only be a livable city, but also become a new economic center of the region, competing with major cities in Southeast Asia. To do that, the city needs close coordination between the government, businesses, research institutes and the international community to create a green, inclusive, sustainable, dynamic and creative development ecosystem.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/canh-tranh-do-thi-tu-ban-sac-va-tam-nhin-dai-han-3302791.html