Da Nang

Template:Infobox province of Vietnam

This article is about the city of Đà Nẵng. For the Vietnam War era air base, see Da Nang Air Base or Đà Nẵng International Airport.

Da Nang (occasionally Danang; in Vietnamese: Đà Nẵng pronunciation^ⓘ) is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea. It is one of the five independent municipalities in Vietnam.

It was called Tourane during the French colonization of Vietnam.

Geography

Da Nang is the fourth biggest city of Vietnam, after Ho Chi Minh city, Ha Noi and Haiphong. It has an area of 1,255.53 km², with a population of 752,493 people (2003). Hoang Sa is an archipelago with 18 islands. ^[1]

Da Nang

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Da Nang within Vietnam

History

According to Hỏi đáp về Quảng Nam-Đà Nẵng (Questions and Answers about Quảng Nam-Đà Nẵng) by Bùi Minh Quốc, Da Nang's name originated from the Cham word Da Nak, meaning "opening of big river."

In 1847, French vessels dispatched by Admiral Cécille bombarded Đà Nẵng in response to persecution of Roman Catholic missionaries.

In August 1858, French troops landed under the orders of Napoleon III, beginning colonial occupation in the area. As a concession, it was renamed Tourane in French. It came to be considered one of French Indochina’s five major cities. During the Vietnam War, the city was home to a major air base that was used by both the South Vietnamese and United States air forces. The population has since increased to over 1 million inhabitants. Refugees from the city of Hue have contributed to the rise since the aftermath of Battle of Hue in 1968.

Before 1997, the city was part of Quảng Nam-Đà Nẵng province. On January 1, 1997, Đà Nẵng was separated from Quảng Nam province to become the fourth municipality of Vietnam.

Education

Đà Nẵng is home to 4 universities:

Đà Nẵng also has over ten other colleges, and numerous high schools.

Culture

Đà Nẵng’s cultural history dates back only approximately 300 years, so the area is historically new when compared to the 4,000 year existence of Vietnamese culture. It is home to the Museum of Cham Sculpture as well as the ancient pagodas of Hai Chau Pho Da Long Tho.

Economy

The city is classified as an industrial zone and has port facilities to handle container traffic. A number of light industries are located in the city. Since 1991, Đà Nẵng became one of the four independent municipalities in Vietnam (Vietnam now has five independent municipalities). After this, the city has had very fast economic growth.

The city’s economic output includes:

Seafood export
Furniture
Household goods
Clothing
Tourism

Some 4,900 factories/production facilities are located in Đà Nẵng. In 1997, Đà Nẵng exported around US$55 million worth of goods. ^{[citation needed]}

Transportation

Đà Nẵng is on the end of the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) which stretches over Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.

By air

Đà Nẵng International Airport, located at the center of the city is the third international airport in Vietnam. It is an important gateway to access central Vietnam. Before 1972, it was one of the busiest airports in the world due to the intensive military activities around the nearby seafront airbase. ^{[citation needed]} The airport has several domestic connections (connecting Hanoi, Hồ Chí Minh City, Quy Nhon), and limited number of international routes (Bangkok, Singapore).