Da Nang has identified the need to develop a worthy night-time economy, through investing in many new projects. However, at present, it can be seen that there are still no truly iconic projects. What is your assessment of the current night-time economic situation of Da Nang?
In recent years, Da Nang has paid attention to developing the night-time economy with many different models. These include night markets such as Son Tra, Helio, or An Thuong tourist streets, Bach Dang at night, My An night beach and Han River sightseeing activities by boat, Dragon Bridge program sprinkling fireworks, night sightseeing programs at tourist attractions such as Ba Na By Night, unique art shows, cultural event series, Han River festival 2, DIFF international fireworks festival...
In addition, Hoi An ancient town has night tourism activities associated with unique and distinctive cultural identity such as: night market, walking street and ancient lanterns, " International Lantern Festival", night food street, special art shows, high-artistic performances such as Hoi An Memories, or art performances of club singing in the old town... These products have initially created diverse options for visitors, extending the time for entertainment and shopping when coming to Da Nang.
However, we also see that the scale and reach of existing products are still not enough to form a strong, iconic night-time economic brand like Marina Bay Sands in Singapore or Shanghai Wharf in China.
The main reason is that the policy framework specifically for the night-time economy is still being finalized, while some projects have not been put into operation.
In addition, many existing products have not been invested in synchronous infrastructure and experience. These are issues that the city is focusing on promoting, to create worthy highlights in the coming time.
In the context of some destinations such as Phu Quoc, Quang Ninh... investing heavily in the night-time economy, how will Da Nang tourism prioritize and focus on investing in the coming period to "not be left behind", sir?
We closely monitor night-time economic development models in domestic localities such as Phu Quoc Special Zone, Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) or Ha Long (Quang Ninh) and many international destinations. This is an inevitable trend, not only to increase tourism revenue but also to extend the length of stay and spending of tourists.
For Da Nang, our priority in the coming period is to focus resources and investment attraction mechanisms for large-scale, unique night-time economic projects that are capable of becoming iconic products. This includes planning areas along the Han River, coastal areas and Son Tra peninsula into "night-time economic axes" with many types of entertainment, arts, cuisine and shopping activities throughout the night.
In addition, the city will promote international events, night festivals, and music festivals, such as the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival - DIFF is a typical example. We expect that Da Nang tourism will not only be vibrant in the summer, but also be a four-season destination with festivals held all year round to attract domestic and foreign tourists.
Da Nang's goal is to create different night experiences, worthy of its position as "Asia's leading event and festival city". The city is planning key, high-class projects such as the International Fireworks Complex project, the Inland Waterway Tourism Investment and Business Project - speeding up the process of selecting investors to be able to soon implement in the coming time; prioritizing public investment resources for projects to complete overnight infrastructure such as the Light River, Bach Dang - Nguyen Van Troi - Tran Hung Dao Tourist Street, An Thuong Tourist Street Phase 2, investing in the landscape of 02 banks of the Han River and along the sea route.
The southern area of the city, associated with Hoi An ancient town, will continue to promote the preservation of cultural and historical values associated with night-time economic activities in Hoi An ancient town; promote the value of traditional festivals while improving the quality of work to ensure security, order and safety for tourists when participating in night entertainment activities.
At the same time, deploy a variety of night tourism product models in 5 groups: (1) art performances; (2) sports activities, health care, beauty; (3) night shopping, entertainment; (4) night tourism tours; (5) introduce culinary culture, night food services. In particular, investing in human resources, improving service quality and ensuring a safe and secure tourism environment at night is also very important.
Recently, the Da Nang Downtown High-end Service and Entertainment Cultural Park project has officially started upgrading, aiming to become an overnight destination with diverse types of services and experiences. What do you expect from this project for the city's night-time economic development?
According to Decision No. 1287/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on Approving the Da Nang City Planning for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, the development orientation of the city will have a complex entertainment and night-time economic center in Hai Chau, Thanh Khe. We have called on investors and the city to realize this vision. And the Da Nang Downtown high-end cultural and entertainment park, commercial service is one of the projects that listens to the city's call to invest in worthy night-time entertainment complexes.
This is a large-scale project and is expected to significantly supplement Da Nang's night-time economic picture. In fact, Da Nang Downtown entertainment complex has previously invested in and created many new night tourism products such as large-scale shows such as Symphony of River or Vui-Fest night market, but it is still not large enough and attractive enough for a true night entertainment complex, not competitive enough with other famous tourist cities in the region and the world.
We expect that when the upgrade and operation is completed and operated in the right direction, Da Nang Downtown will contribute to filling the gap in iconic night products, but this requires close coordination between investors, authorities and operating units so that the project not only attracts customers when it first opens, but also maintains long-term appeal.
In your opinion, in addition to developing the night-time economy, when the upgrade is completed, what will be the impact on the development of Da Nang?
Da Nang Downtown is a large-scale project with the potential to have a multi-dimensional impact on the city's development. In terms of economy, the project will add an entertainment - trade - cultural center with service items such as large-scale art shows, museums, exhibitions, international-class shopping and entertainment, operating day and night, contributing to extending the length of stay, increasing spending of tourists, and boosting revenue for related service industries.
Regarding tourism, this can become a new highlight, helping Da Nang diversify products, reduce dependence on daytime activities, and create competitiveness with other destinations in the region.
In society, the project is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, contribute to the budget, improve infrastructure in the surrounding area and stimulate the development of supporting economic sectors.
Operating such a complex is not simple. So what are the challenges that this complex, when completed, can help Da Nang become a new "Asian lion" in night-time economy like Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai?
It is true that operating a complex with diverse types of experiences both day and night will have many challenges.
Firstly, the requirements for product quality and difference are very high - today's tourists seek unique experiences, constantly innovating.
Second, the infrastructure to support the night-time economy, including traffic infrastructure, parking lots, security, and environmental sanitation, still needs to be strongly upgraded.
Third, human resources for night service operators must meet all skills, foreign languages and service attitude. Finally, the promotional strategy must be strong enough to compete directly with destinations with an international brand.
But I believe that, with the participation of potential investors with experience in operating entertainment complexes and even major international partners, Da Nang Downtown in the future will be an important piece to help Da Nang create a continental-level night-time economic model, both contributing to tourism growth and enhancing the city's image and position on the international map.
