Da Nang works to lure more RoK investors, tourists

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Huynh Duc Tho made the statement during a meeting with RoK Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Do-hyon last week, stating that the city wants to attract more investors such as Samsung and Hyundai in the coming years.

Tho said the launch of the consulate office would help promote tourism and investment, while building connections between heritage sites in central Vietnam including Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Hue, Hoi An and My Son Sanctuary with popular destinations in the RoK such as Jeju Island, Incheon and Seoul.

RoK tourists are the second largest group of visitors to Da Nang, with 1 million arrivals accounting for 43% of all foreign travellers last year.

Investors from the RoK have also poured US$604 million into 144 projects, the second biggest foreign investment in the city.

Both Vietnamese and RoK budget airlines are operating 12 weekly flights between Da Nang and Korean cities such as Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Pusan and Musan, carrying an average of 1,500 passengers a week to the city.

The RoK has also helped Da Nang to build the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Information Technology College with official development assistance funding of US$10 million.

Russia, Laos, Spain and China have already opened consulate offices in the city, while Japan also plans to open one soon.