Vietnam Sustainable Development Forum 2026 opens in Da Nang

The event was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics; Dr. Nguyen Duc Hien, Deputy Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Commission; and Dr. Le Quang Nam, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee, alongside experts and scholars from research institutes, planning agencies, and universities in Vietnam and abroad.

In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized that the rearrangement of administrative units and the implementation of a two-tier local government administration model in Vietnam have opened up broader spaces for development.

To leverage these factors, he stressed the need to innovate planning mindsets, rearrange resources, and foster cooperative relationships and linkages that overcome administrative boundaries.

He said the organizers hoped the international experts taking part in the forum would share successful experiences and practical lessons in sustainable development planning that are suitable to Vietnam’s situation.

Deputy Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Commission Nguyen Duc Hien stated that the commission hoped to receive solutions from participating experts on three key issues.

These are the development plan based on the value added per unit of space and resources, addressing climate change as a data-driven learning process, a new economic frontier, and a matter of social equity, and closely integrating the smart transport plan with energy transition and digital technology.

In his welcoming remarks, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee Le Quang Nam emphasized that the forum is taking place at a particularly significant moment for local-level urban planning and development governance.

Notably, the Vietnamese Prime Minister, on October 21, 2026, approved Decision No. 2016/QD-TTg regarding the Master Plan for Da Nang until 2050, with a vision to 2075. This aims to develop Da Nang into an ecological, modern, smart, rich in identity, safe, livable, and internationally positioned coastal city by 2050.

The Vietnam Sustainable Development Forum 2026 takes place from October 23 to 24 at the Da Nang Administrative Center. The forum will include a plenary session on October 24, titled “Urban Reshaping and Economic Development: Challenges of the 21^st Century,” as well as a high-level policy dialogue themed “Local Strategic Planning in a New Era”.