In recent years, the policy of fostering partnerships between lowland and mountainous localities, initiated by the Standing Board of the Da Nang Party Committee, has been translated into concrete actions focused on healthcare, education, housing support, and sustainable livelihood creation, with the aim of improving living standards in mountainous areas.

The policy reflects solidarity, close ties and shared responsibility among localities across the city, helping to gradually narrow the development gap between mountainous and lowland areas.

Creating new opportunities for mountainous areas

The mountainous commune of Tra Tan is home to more than 1,500 households and nearly 6,300 residents, around 80% of whom belong to ethnic minority communities. Living conditions remain challenging as the local economy largely depends on fruit orchards of durian, areca palm, mangosteen, and green-skinned pomelo, among other crops.

Over the years, residents have invested significantly in agricultural transformation and progressively developed their hillside farming operations. However, as the trees begin to bear fruit, their greatest concern is finding stable markets for their produce.

Nguyen Dai Chau, a local resident, said: “My family cultivates nearly 10 hectares of durian trees that are more than ten years old and now bear fruit consistently. The partnership between Tra Tan Commune and Hoa Cuong Ward will help create market access for local agricultural products. If we can establish links with the city’s central wholesale market, it will be highly beneficial. In a few years, my orchard could produce nearly 100 tonnes annually, so a stable outlet is essential.”

Tra Tan Commune Chairman Le Minh Chien noted: “The partnership with Hoa Cuong Ward, located in central Da Nang and home to a major wholesale market, is opening up better prospects for local produce. Farmers who previously operated on a small scale are now beginning to think about expanding sustainable production models. In the future, we hope investors and businesses will help connect supply chains, ensuring stable markets, increasing incomes, and improving local living standards.”

Located in the western mountainous region of Da Nang, Tra Doc Commune now has more than 2,300 households and nearly 10,400 residents following the administrative merger, the majority of whom belong to ethnic minority groups. Given its mountainous terrain, living conditions remain difficult.

In response, the Tra Doc Commune Party Committee has established partnerships with the Party Committees of Tam Xuan Commune and Dien Ban Bac Ward, while the Tra Doc Commune People’s Committee has forged partnerships with the Da Nang Department of Finance and Song Tranh 2 Hydropower Plant.

During the first six months of 2026, these partnership programmes delivered encouraging results, focusing on social welfare, support for poor households, disaster recovery, livelihood assistance, and improvements to local living conditions. Thousands of gifts, numerous livelihood support initiatives, and gratitude houses were provided, helping ease hardships faced by local residents.

Tra Doc Commune Chairman Phan Duy Hung said: “The twinning programme has strengthened solidarity and cooperation among agencies and organisations, while also enabling the locality to access additional resources for socio-economic development and for improving both the material and spiritual well-being of residents. Going forward, we will continue to expand partnerships between Tra Doc Commune and other localities and organisations.”

Narrowing the development gap

Following the merger with Quang Nam, Da Nang now covers approximately 12,000 square kilometres and has a population of more than three million, officially becoming the largest centrally governed city in Viet Nam by area.

However, the city’s mountainous region is home to 37 ethnic minority groups, with around 157,000 residents. Road links remain fragmented, while broader transport and telecommunications infrastructure remain underdeveloped.

In response, Da Nang introduced a policy of establishing partnerships between communes and wards across the city. Under the initiative, 60 lowland communes and wards entered into partnerships with 33 mountainous and remote communes, creating a direct grassroots-level network of cooperation.

Areas of support include the development of socio-economic and IT infrastructure; promotion of the private sector and household economies drawing on local strengths and advantages; healthcare services and free medicine distribution; the upgrading of educational facilities; construction of houses for policy beneficiaries; and the preservation and promotion of cultural, historical and scenic heritage.

The partnership programme has been established with a clear framework. Officials are deployed on a rotational basis to provide support, localities formulate detailed plans, and businesses are encouraged to participate in investment and market linkage initiatives.

It also provides an opportunity for localities to gain a deeper understanding of one another following the merger, from livelihoods and production practices to cultural traditions and customs.

These partnerships between communes and wards go beyond simple assistance. They are gradually connecting the mountainous and lowland parts of the city, helping to narrow the development gap between the two.

Nguyen Dinh Vinh, Deputy Secretary of the Da Nang Party Committee, stated that the policy of establishing partnerships between communes and wards across the city not only promotes balanced development but also embodies a spirit of solidarity and mutual support among regions, while making better use of the strengths of each locality and building a more equitable and sustainable Da Nang.

“The primary objective is mutual engagement and support for shared development. Through these connections, communes and wards will be able to propose approaches and models for the city authorities to guide the development of broader, more strategic initiatives,” Vinh emphasised.