City university of new york city college

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi – The central city of Da Nang is set to be part of the global supply chain network and a gateway on the East-West Economic Corridor by 2030, a meeting in Hanoi on March 1 heard.

Discussing adjustments to the city’s master planning by 2030 with a vision towards 2045, the meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

By 2030, the city is also expected to become a destination for global lifestyles, a centre of tourism and services, and a maritime economic hub in Vietnam and the region at large. In the long term, it eyes becoming a special urban area and an international city.

Its population is predicted to stand at about 1.79 million by 2030 and its urban area is to cover 31,836 ha, or more than 32 percent of the local land area.

The municipal People’s Committee signed a contract with a joint venture between Sakae Corporate Advisory Ltd. and Surbana Jurong (Singapore) on the project adjusting the master planning.

During the process of building the project, the municipal People’s Committee organised three international workshops and collected feedback from local residents, businesses, departments, and agencies.

In an assessment, the Ministry of Construction said the project identified the position and role of Da Nang as a core urban area of the Hue-Da Nang-Chu Lai-Ky Ha-Dung Quat (Van Tuong)-Quy Nhon urban area chain, forming the Da Nang urban region, encompassing Chan May (Lang Co), Da Nang, Dien Ban, Hoi An, and Nam Hoi An.

In his remarks, PM Phuc lauded Da Nang’s coordination with ministries and agencies as well as its response to opinions from local residents and socio-economic organisations in the planning work.

Da Nang should develop beyond its current status as a first-tier urban area, he said, becoming a special city.

Given that it boasts one of the most beautiful beaches in the region, he urged the city to pay more attention to waste water treatment and climate change issues and suggested it seek new development drivers apart from tourism.

Corruption and other misdeeds in planning adjustment and implementation must be prevented, he reminded all in attendance, noting that planning and realisation must be in tandem.

A surgery conducted at the Vinmec Times City General Hospital, a private hospital in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Private investment is forecast to keep flowing into the healthcare sector in the time ahead with the appearance of many new drivers, according to the Dau tu (Vietnam Investment Review) newspaper.

Nipro Pharma Vietnam , invested in by the Nipro Pharma Corporation – one of Japan’s leading pharmaceutical companies – is completing necessary procedures to add 270 million USD to its investment in a factory at the Saigon Hi-Tech Park in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the Japan External Trade Organisation ( JETRO ), a large number of Japanese businesses are seeking the chance to tap into Vietnam’s healthcare market given its substantial potential.

The sector has attracted new investment inflows recently, especially last year, with a number of new projects from both domestic and foreign companies.

In late 2020, a group of investors led by the Singaporean Government’s GIC sovereign wealth fund poured more than 203 million USD into Vingroup’s VMC, which develops and operates the Vinmec hospital system.

VinaCapital’s Vietnam Opportunity Fund, meanwhile, invested 26.7 million USD in the Thu Cuc International General Hospital, while the UK’s Real Capital London debuted the Hong Anh (UK Vietnam) Medical Campus in HCM City, worth about 156 million USD.

Many projects funded by domestic investors were also licensed or became operational last year, such as the TV.Pharm Hi-tech Pharmaceutical Complex, Van Phuc – Sai Gon Hospital, and Hoan My Western Hospital.

Such moves show that hospital investment is increasingly attractive to investors due to growing middle class demand for high-quality healthcare, the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, multinational pharmaceutical groups such as Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, GSK, and AstraZeneca are promoting “social business” via new programmes.

In late January, AstraZeneca worked with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and three specialised associations to launch a communications campaign to help raise awareness in Vietnam about asthma.

The MoH’s Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, the UK Embassy in Vietnam, and GSK recently signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in antimicrobial resistance prevention and control for 2021-2023, the paper reported.

The healthcare sector estimated that it needs about 176 trillion VND (over 7.6 billion USD at current exchange rates) for infrastructure development between 2010 and 2015. Since 2010, however, the Government has met only two-thirds of this capital demand.

The sector therefore views private investment as an important source of funding.

Despite this, private investment in healthcare still falls short of expectations, Dau tu noted, adding that the use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) remains modest due to the absence of a legal framework for such investment.

The Law on PPP Investment, which took effect on January 1, is expected to address obstacles relating to the legal framework and facilitate private investment in healthcare. The 2020 Law on Investment and Law on Enterprises are also set to create momentum for capital flows.

In the face of certain barriers, World Bank analysts have recommended prudence in the selection of PPP models and contracts in healthcare, suggesting that the MoH build a circular guiding selection, preparation, implementation, monitoring, and assessment of healthcare PPP projects in a fair and effective manner./.