Vietnam's Da Nang to boost investment, tourism with Malaysia

Hanoi, August 29 (VNA) -  The central city of Da Nang 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 Da Nang 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 Da Nang-Kuala Lumpur route after Air Asia and Batik Air, meaning an increase to 28 flights per week.

Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Anh Thi said at a working visit with the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia, that Da Nang hopes to build links with the southern state of Malacca, with investments in finance and healthcare management.

Thi said Da Nang 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.

Da Nang plans to build a free trade zone and the establishment of municipal authority – the first ever of its kind in Vietnam – 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 Da Nang and Malaysia, offering more exchange tours.

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

Da Nang 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 Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Malaysia currently welcomes 146 flights from Vietnam every week.

Da Nang has drawn 18 investment projects from Malaysia with total 222 million USD, the city’s investment promotion agency reported.

The new air route will connect tourists to the UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites in central Vietnam such as Hue Monuments complex in Thua Thien-Hue province, the My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An ancient town in Quang Nam province with destinations in Malaysia, according to the city’s Tourism Fund./.