Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Da Nang (VNA) – Since the beginning of this year, the central city of Da Nang has adopted synchronous, flexible and effective measures to realise the Government’s double goals o🐠f fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and restoring socio-economic development, on the back of strong engagement of the local political system, and active involvement of businesses and people.
Positive results
Thanks to drastic anti-pandemic measures, the city has basically put the pandemic under control while maintaining production and trade.
Pham Truong Son, head of the management board of the Da Nang Hi-tech Parks and Industrial Zones Authority, said the local hi-tech parks and industrial zones have so far drawn 499 projects with a total registered capital of nearly 26.7 trillion VND and over 1.74 billion USD, and 65,000 workers.
The board has assisted firms in conducting administrative procedures, while monitoring the observance of pandemic prevention and control measures, and coming up with plans to develop production while effectively combating the pandemic, he said.
Da Nang strives to fulfill dual goal
Da Nang has designated 2021 as "Year of restoring growth and promoting economic development”. Commenting on the performance so far, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Trung Chinh affirmed that the local economy is gradually recovering and escaping the 2020 negative growth, evidenced by the gross regional domestic product growth of nearly 5 percent in the first half of this year, up 1.05 percentage points from the same period in 2019. The services sector expanded by 5.34 percent, and the industrial and construction sector picked up 2.85 percent. Such results proved that the management of the local political system and efforts by departments, agencies, people and businesses have been effective.
One of the factors helping Da Nang to regain the growth trend is the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. The key to the city's success in curbing the spread of the coronavirus is fast tracing and isolation and large-scale testing. For example, when discovering 35 cases positive to SARS-CoV-2 at Truong Minh Company in the Da Nang IP on May 11, the city quickly traced and sent all F1 cases to concentrated quarantine facilities, while conducted testing for over 11,000 related people. When they tested negative, lock-down on the IP was lifted, allowing it to resume operation.
Synchronous measures taken
About socio-economic development measures in the last half of the year, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Van Quang said the committee will continue to involve the entire local political system in pandemic control work. Drastic and synchronous measures will continue to be taken, especially in residential and concentrated quarantine facilities. The city will urgently seek access to COVID-19 vaccines supplies in order to conduct large-scale vaccination.
At the same time, drastic measures will also be implemented to restore economic growth, speed up public investment capital disbursement, and remove difficulties for key projects, especially delayed ones, according to Quang.
During the fourth conference of the 22nd municipal Party Committee, delegates proposed key solutions for the last half of this year, including promptly providing assistance for residents and firms hit by the pandemic; dealing with “bottlenecks” in investment procedures, basic construction, site clearance, compensation; calling for investment in industrial clusters; and stepping up awareness campaigns to popularise Da Nang as a safe and attractive destination.
To gather socio-economic development pace post-pandemic, Son, the head of the management board of the Da Nang Hi-tech Parks and Industrial Zones Authority, suggested focusing on services for the domestic market, export-import, job creation, and social welfare.
He said the municipal People’s Committee needs to work with ministries and agencies to accelerate the investment in technical infrastructure for Hoa Cam , Hoa Nhon and Hoa Ninh IPs; and adjust investment attraction policy towards eco-friendly projects in new IPs.
The official also proposed holding activities to connect supply-demand in human resources between enterprises and training establishments in priority fields of hi-tech, information technology, automation, precision mechanical engineering; and increase foreign language and soft skill training for workers.
He said the city should issue mechanisms and policies to build a contingent of professional and dynamic cadres, strengthen discipline ♐and order in administrative management, encourage dynamism and creativity among officials and cadres, and punish those showing bureaucratic behaviours./.
