Da Nang's development plan of low-altitude economy

The seminar was co-chaired by Ho Quang Buu, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee; Nguyen Van Thuat, Deputy Director of the Department of Digital Economy and Society under the Ministry of Science and Technology; and consulting experts.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman Ho Quang Buu noted that the low-altitude economy is not merely unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or a new technology. It represents a new space for development. It includes ecosystems, airspace connections, vehicles and technical infrastructure, digital platforms, data, businesses, research institutes and universities, alongside mechanisms, policies, and state management capabilities.

Low-altitude airspace is considered a new frontier for socio-economic development, alongside land, maritime, digital, and traditional development spaces. It fosters local growth in the new era, particularly double-digit growth.

Da Nang owns a highly diverse spatial structure, encompassing urban and coastal areas, rivers, islands, a hi-tech industrial park, seaports, airports, and logistics hubs. The city also possesses vast hilly and forested terrain and flash flood-, landslide-, and wildfire-prone areas, as well as locations that are difficult to access during natural disasters.

The city benefits from special policies, an open controlled-testing framework, and a development strategy grounded in science and technology, particularly semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI). This makes it highly suitable for the low-altitude economy.

The seminar focused on discussing and gathering feedback on five core areas to refine the scheme on Da Nang's development of low-altitude economy.

These were development perspectives and objectives; solutions and application services; infrastructure to support the low-altitude economy; management mechanisms to facilitate implementation; and the pilot roadmap and zoning/routing plans for UAV pilot operations.

In his closing remarks, Vice Chairman Ho Quang Buu affirmed that the seminar served as a vital forum for Da Nang to gather insights and opinions from experts, scientists, and businesses. These contributions will help refine the project while gradually realising the city's aspiration to become an innovation hub, a pioneer in piloting new technologies, and a creator of a safe, efficient, and sustainable low-altitude economy.