Central Vietnam hub Danang plans southern urban expansion 

Danang city, the heart of central Vietnam, will expand its urban footprint southward to ease pressure on the city center, optimize land use, and strengthen links with neighboring urban areas, according to a decision recently issued by the Prime Minister.

The decision approved the task of preparing Danang’s master plan through 2050, with a vision to 2075.

Toward an eco-friendly, modern and smart city

Under the decision, the planning scope covers the city’s entire administrative boundary and associated maritime areas, spanning about 11,859.59 square kilometers.

By 2050, Danang is targeted to become a modern, smart, and livable city with a distinct identity. It is expected to serve as a key national growth pole and a national and regional hub for logistics, maritime economy, trade, finance, free trade, science and technology, startup, and innovation.

The city is also envisioned as a center for tourism-heritage, culture-sports, education-training, and high-quality healthcare, developing along green growth and climate adaptation pathways, while firmly safeguarding national defense, security, and maritime sovereignty.

By 2075, it is set to become an eco-friendly, modern, smart, and culturally distinctive city with strong appeal, safety, livability, and international stature.

As a centrally-run city and a major socio-economic hub of Vietnam, Danang is positioned as a center for startup, innovation, tourism, trade, finance, logistics, high-tech industry, digital industry, and supporting industries. The city will serve as a key transport and telecommunications hub, with integrated national multimodal connectivity.

Danang is also oriented to become a free trade, financial, cultural, and international events hub; a bridge for regional economic integration and cultural exchange; and an international transport transit point via its seaport and airport systems.

It is positioned as a key maritime gateway along the East-West Economic Corridor, linking Greater Mekong Subregion countries with ASEAN and the wider international community.

At the same time, the city is set to serve as the northern growth pole of Vietnam’s south-central coast and Central Highlands, and a regional connector with north-central Vietnam, Laos, and ASEAN countries.

It is projected to become a center for the diffusion of heritage values, contributing to socio-economic development and improved living standards. It also holds a strategically important role in national defense and security.

By 2050, the city's population would reach around 6 million, including about 4 million urban residents and 4.9 million permanent residents. Total urban residential land is expected to range from 28,000 to 44,000 hectares, while rural residential land is projected at around 30,000 hectares.

Urban space to expand southward

The decision aims strengthen spatial and infrastructure connectivity between eastern and western areas, coastal zones, and the Hoang Sa special administrative area.

It also envisions the formation of coastal and riverside spatial corridors for landscape, tourism, and ecology, enhancing the value of waterfront areas and optimizing advantages from the coastline, archipelagos, and peninsulas.

The plan aligns with environmental protection and sustainable development goals. It aims to gradually shape a distinctive maritime urban identity and an ecosystem of tourism, culture, and creativity.

Notably, Danang’s urban core is identified as the central nucleus. The decision envisions expanding the city’s urban space and integrating it with Dien Ban and Hoi An in the former Quang Nam province (now part of Danang after their merger last July) into a unified coastal urban system, ensuring shared central functions, reducing intra-regional migration into Danang and addressing land constraints relative to the city’s development needs.

It also proposes compact urban development models, alongside coordinated urban renewal measures and the creation of public spaces for residents and visitors. The plan calls for the completion and upgrading of social and technical infrastructure, closely linked with public transport development and smart city initiatives.

It further outlines stronger urban connectivity between Hoi An, Dien Ban and Danang. Hoi An is oriented as an “eco-cultural-tourism” city built on heritage values and its distinct identity, with enhanced resilience and adaptation to climate change.

Dien Ban is required to identify solutions for upgrading coastal and riverside areas, aiming to ensure seamless integration of riverside and coastal urban-tourism spaces from Danang to Hoi An. It also calls for urban redevelopment combined with the development of new urban areas to enhance land value.

For the new urban space in South Hoi An (south of the Thu Bon River), the plan is aligned with a development orientation toward becoming a regional hub for events, tourism, entertainment, and sports.

It emphasizes harmonized urban development with natural landscapes (river and sea), efficient land use, and a model centered on green growth, smart urbanization, and renewable energy.

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