Ngu Hanh Son district in the central city of Da Nang has been chosen to implement an APEC low-carbon model town project with a view to expanding it to districts and cities throughout the country and the world.

Da Nang was selected for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation project at the 44th APEC energy meeting in Washington DC last November.

Assessment of carbon dioxide emissions in the district will be carried out for a report by the end of August on environmentally friendly measures and costings, Igarashi Toku from Newjec said at a meeting on May 15.

Igarashi said that from measures applied in the Ngu Hanh Son district, a common model of a low-carbon town would be developed and expanded to other districts in the city, and eventually world-wide.

Renewable energy measures including solar and wind power would be used, he said.

The 38sq km Ngu Hanh Son district is sandwiched between the Han River and the sea with a population of 55,000. Deputy director of the city's Industry and Trade Department Nguyen Dinh Phuc said the city would "meet the world standards of environment in different categories of air, transport, buildings, energy savings and water storage".

"The low carbon model will be expanded throughout the whole city to become a green city by 2025," Phuc said.

As part of its push for a low-carbon city, Da Nang has also proposed battery-powered bikes; technology to curb greenhouse gas emissions and use renewable energy sources; a metro system; rapid bus transit.

The city had already cut 12,000 tonnes of carbon emissions through a pilot project and saved 12 billion VND (570,000 USD) between 2008-11.-VNA