- City leaders extend New Year greetings to the Russian and Japanese Consulates in Đà Nẵng

- Promote people-to-people diplomacy, fostering the Vietnam–Laos friendship

- Inauguration of the 21st Hội An – Japan Cultural Exchange Event, Đà Nẵng 2025

- Đà Nẵng receives the Vietnam Smart City Award 2025

***

City leaders extend New Year greetings to the Russian and Japanese Consulates in Đà Nẵng

On the afternoon of December 25, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee, Hồ Kỳ Minh, visited and extended New Year greetings to the staff of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation and the Consulate General of Japan in Đà Nẵng on the occasion of the New Year 2026.

At the Consulate General of the Russian Federation, Vice Chairman Hồ Kỳ Minh conveyed his wishes for a prosperous and healthy New Year and expressed his pleasure at the friendly relations between Vietnam and the Russian Federation, as well as between Đà Nẵng and various regions of Russia. He also expressed his hope that Consul General Mizonova Maria Georgievna would continue to serve as a bridge, introducing Russian businesses to explore, cooperate, and invest in Đà Nẵng.

Consul General Mizonova Maria Georgievna thanked the city authorities for their attention and shared that in 2026, there would be two additional direct flights from Russia to Đà Nẵng, expecting this to stimulate the attraction of more investors and tourists.

On the same day, Vice Chairman Hồ Kỳ Minh visited and extended New Year greetings to the Consulate General of Japan in Đà Nẵng. Vice Chairman Hồ Kỳ Minh conveyed his New Year wishes and expressed gratitude for the contributions

of the Japanese diplomatic mission over recent times. The city hopes that in 2026, Japanese enterprises, particularly in the financial and banking sectors, will participate in the Đà Nẵng International Financial Center, as well as continue to develop and maintain the Vietnam – Japan Festival.

Consul General Mori Takero expressed his gratitude for the city’s support and affirmed that he will continue to promote cooperative relations between Japan and Đà Nẵng.

***

Promote people-to-people diplomacy, fostering the Vietnam–Laos friendship

On the morning of December 24, the Vietnam – Laos Friendship Association of Đà Nẵng City held a conference to review people-to-people foreign affairs activities in 2025 and to outline tasks for 2026.

In 2025, the Đà Nẵng Vietnam – Laos Friendship Association effectively carried out people-to-people foreign affairs activities, focusing on organizing medical examinations and treatments as well as providing social welfare support in Sekong and Savannakhet provinces.

In 2026, the Association will continue to promote exchanges, strengthen its organizational structure, and maintain friendship activities. At the conference, the Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee, Trần Anh Tuấn, was elected President of the Association for the 2024 – 2029 term.

Aligning with the resolutions of the City Party Congress, Vice Chairman Trần Anh Tuấn emphasized that efforts will continue to proactively enhance Laos language skills for members, expand connections with the business community, strengthen care for Laos students in Đà Nẵng, and improve organizational and operational regulations, thereby achieving significant progress and further enhancing the effectiveness of people-to-people foreign affairs work.

***

Inauguration of the 21st Hội An – Japan Cultural Exchange Event, Đà Nẵng 2025

On the evening of December 26th, 2025 in the ancient town of Hội An (Hội An Ward), the 21st Hội An – Japan Cultural Exchange event opened in Đà Nẵng.

Deputy Chairwoman of the City People's Committee, Nguyễn Thị Anh Thi, emphasized that after more than 20 years of organization, the event has become a strong bridge, contributing to increased understanding, trust, and friendly relations between the people of Vietnam and Japan.

This year, the event takes place in a special context as the Ancient Town of Hội An officially becomes part of Đà Nẵng City – a milestone that opens up many opportunities to promote cultural exchange, tourism development, and economic cooperation between Đà Nẵng, Hội An, and Japanese partners, while also showcasing the destination’s rich and distinctive character.

With over 400 years of Vietnam–Japan trade relations, the Hội An ward – as an ancient town under the jurisdiction of Đà Nẵng – continues to preserve its heritage value while gaining new momentum for development in the new era.

Taking place from December 26 to 28, the event offers a series of distinctive cultural and artistic activities. The cultural spaces at An Hội Sculpture Garden, the Japanese Culture Exhibition House, the Trade Ceramics Museum, along with the Ancient Town area, continue to serve visitors through various experiential activities, culinary experiences, and traditional games.

***

Đà Nẵng receives the Vietnam Smart City Award 2025

On the morning of December 23 in Hanoi, the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (VINASA) held the Announcement and Award Ceremony of the Vietnam Smart City Awards 2025. Đà Nẵng City was once again honored and remarkably received the award for the sixth consecutive year.

In 2025, Đà Nẵng was named in three categories: Smart Governance and Administration; Green Environment – Sustainable Development; and Attractive City for Startup Innovation. The awards received more than 200,000 votes, with Đà Nẵng leading with 163,984 votes, accounting for nearly 70%.

Sharing at the event, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Trần Chí Cường noted that building a smart city is an inevitable trend, identified by the City Party Committee and the City People's Committee as a consistent orientation for sustainable development, closely linked with urban planning and development goals.

Đà Nẵng is steadfast in placing its people and businesses at the center, considering digital transformation as a key tool, focusing on the development of a technological infrastructure, shared data, and digital platforms to enhance the quality of management, governance, and service delivery.