Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has urged Da Nang city to become an important driving force to foster the development of the central region and the Central Highlands.

Working with municipal leaders on March 18 during his working visit to the city, the Party leader highlighted the important role and position of Da Nang as it is located in the central key economic region and midway between the world cultural heritages of Hue ancient capital, and Hoi An ancient town and My Son sanctuary in Quang Nam province.

Holding great potential in human resources and favourable conditions for developing tourism, services, industry and seaports, Da Nang should become a large socio-economic, finance-banking, cultural, educational and technological hub in the region, he said.

As the end of the East-West Economic Corridor, Da Nang needs to exert every effort to turn itself into an industrialised city by 2020, he added.

To reach these goals, Party leader Trong advised the city to focus on creating consensus and high determination in its Party organisations and streamlining procedures.

Together with economic development, Da Nang needs to define Party building as a key task, focusing on personnel work, he said, emphasising the need to prevent moral degradation among Party officials and members, maintain political stability and close contact between the Party and people.

The Party General Secretary praised Da Nang’s achievements over the past three years, with its average annual GDP growth rate of 10 percent and per capita income of 56 million VND (2,660 USD), 1.6 times higher than the national average.

Earlier on the same day, he visited TCIE Co., Ltd, an auto assembly joint venture between Malaysia and Japan in Vietnam, and the Hoa Tho Veston factory.-VNA