Da Nang holds potential to become 'Silicon Valley' of Southeast Asia: seminar

ABO/NDO- The central city of Da Nang holds great potential to become a ‘Silicon Valley’ of Southeast Asia, especially when it receives more investment, technology and resources of firms which come from the US’s ‘Silicon Valley’, an official has said.

At an October 17 seminar on digital transformation and smart cities between companies operating in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector of the US and Da Nang city, deputy head of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications Hoang Anh Tu pointed out that Da Nang is home to the most high-tech parks, concentrated information technology parks, and software parks in the central region.

It also ranked first in Vietnam in terms of digital transformation in 2021, he said, adding that the US’s ICT enterprises cooperating with Da Nang will see a lot of opportunities to succeed in digital transformation, and can easily expand collaboration with other Vietnamese localities, and even cities of other countries in the region.

A corner of Da Nang city (Photo: VNA).

Adam Sitkoff, executive director from the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Hanoi, said that US firms are able to see Da Nang’s potential in digital transformation.

Therefore, this business linkage programme will create a new mark for cooperation between the two sides, he added.

Deputy director of the municipal Department of Information and Communications Le Son Phong said that his city began building the e-government from 2010, and piloting several smart apps in transport, the environment, health, education and food safety and hygiene from 2014.

To successfully implement the smart city model and digital transformation, Da Nang has put forward many important solutions, including strengthening cooperation with both domestic and foreign organisations, groups and buinsesses.

It won ASOCIO Smart City Award 2019 by the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO), Smart City Award Vietnam in 2020 and 2021, and also ranked first in Vietnam’s Digital Transformation Index in these years.

Revenue from the city’s ICT sector enjoys an average annual growth rate of 20%.

(Source: NDO)