+ BACKGROUND, CHALLENGES AND OBJECTIVES

Background, Challenges, and Objectives
With the success of the Doi Moi* initiative, Vietnam's urbanization is accelerating rapidly. Consequently, Da Nang, the fourth biggest city in Vietnam, is experiencing a rapid population growth. Da Nang’s population increased by 2.5% ~ 3% annually for the last decade. In 2011, the population of Da nang was 770,000, but in 2018, the population was more than a million. However, Da Nang’s infrastructures could not accomodate the population's needs. Infrastructures, such as a transportation system, had to be reformed in order to meet citizens’ demands.

The Da Nang Sustainable City Development Project aims to help Da Nang become a more sustainable city that would benefit all citizens by improving the urban environment and increasing urban mobility in a clean and efficient manner. Moreover, the plan has five components: Drainage and Wastewater Improvement, Bus Rapid Transit Development, Urban Strategic Roads, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building, and Transferred Activities of Da Nang Priority Infrastructure Investment Project.

Da Nang and The World Bank Partnership for Sustainable Urban Development project
First-time private sector participation in sludge removal and treatment

Da Nang wastewater management strategy &  connectivity improvement

Over the last two decades, under The World Bank partnership, Da Nang has developed as the greenest city in Vietnam.* Da Nang has undergone 3 steps of innovative revolution, and then taken sustainable approaches to urban development. The Three Cities Sanitation Project was then followed by the Da Nang Priority Infrastructure Investment Project (PIIP) in 2008-2013, and the Da Nang sustainable City Development Project (SCDP) from 2013-2019.

Satellite photographs of Da Nang 1977 and 2013


<1999-2008: Three Cities Sanitation Project>
About the Partnership with Da Nang and the Word Bank 
 Over the last two decades, under the World Bank partnership, Da Nang has developed as a sustainable city in Vietnam.


1999-2008: Three Cities Sanitation Project
In 1999, Da Nang took its first action with the World Bank to develop the city. Within this period, Da Nang experienced huge changes in basic infrastructures. The project aimed to sustain improvements in public health and increase economic development in three cities, Haiphong, Quang Ninh Province, and Da Nang.

Considering the fact that the city of Da Nang is in a tropical monsoon zone with 2.5 millimeters of rainfall per year, reducing the incidence of flooding is directly related to the safety and public health of the inhabitants. By upgrading the urban environment and developing more efficient and financially sustainable drainage companies, Da Nang has increased public health, safety, and has improved lacking infrastructure.

The project was a huge success, and many benefits were gained as a result. The three cities, including Da Nang, have successfully improved the drainage, sewerage and solid waste management throughout the city and have also provided institutional support. Over 738,000 citizens have benefited from the improved reliable drainage and sewage systems, solid waste management and on-plot sanitation. Reducing the vulnerability to flooding and other environmental risks, including diseases, eventually upgraded the life quality in Da Nang. This first project provided the foundation for the two following projects with the World Bank.


2008 - 2013: Priority Infrastructure Investment Project (PIIP)
Within this period of time, Da Nang embarked on its first multi-sectoral urban development plan with the World Bank partnership. The Priority Infrastructure Investment Project (PIIP) was based on the rationale of rapid urban economic growth and poor environmental sanitation negatively impacted on sustainable growth. The city government and the World Bank pondered on these challenges: (i) ensuring productive employment and basic services for new residents; (ii); dealing with the legacy of under-investment in the 70s, 80s and 90s; (iii) better operationalization of industrial zones and improvement in FDI.  

Upon the previous project of Comprehensive Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy (CPRGS), the World Bank and the city government designed the PIIP to translate and implement CPRGS’s goal at the local level. Hence, the PIIP project planned to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of municipal services under the control of Da Nang city through upgrading urban infrastructures. Moreover, the components include (i) urban upgrading of low-income areas, construction of resettlement sites, and micro-finance for home improvement; (ii) environmental infrastructure improvement; (iii) new roads and bridges linking peri-urban regions to the city center; and (iv) capacity building and technical assistance. 

As the result of the PIIP, the World Bank rated it was moderately satisfactory, the risk to development outcome was moderate, the Bank performance was satisfactory, and the Borrower performance was moderately satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: an integrated multi-sectoral approach is the way forward despite design and implementation challenges.

The project successfully provided access to essential services, including on-plot piped water supply, drainage, and wastewater collection facilities and accessibility to all-season roads. With this successful results, PIIP scaled up to the Da Nang Sustainable City Development Project (SCDP) in 2013.

Danang voted as Vietnam's greenest city (July 13, 2018), DTi News. Retrieved from http://dtinews.vn/en/news/021/57376/danang-voted-as-vietnam-s-greenest-city.html

*Doi Moi: Vietnam’s economic reformation policy. Satellite Photographs of Da Nang 1977 and 2013 

*Rapid Planning, 2016. DaNang 1977 and DaNang 2013;.  ©Rapid Planning. http://rapid-planning.net/sites/default/files/DaNag_1977_2013_red.jpg

+ ACTIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION

Actions and Implementation

SCDP has been in progress for more than 5 years since 2013, and it consists of various projects regrouped as sub-plans. Sub-plans include expanding drainage, upgrading Hoa Xuan wastewater treatment plant, constructing the Lien Chieu wastewater treatment plant, and undertaking the Nguyen Tat Thanh extension which was opened to traffic in late March 2018. Additionally, the city officials are working on upgrading the Hoa Phuoc-Hoa Khuong roads.

The integration of a BRT system is in progress as well, since the ridership on the five new urban bus services established through the BRT development program has increased by 16% per month in 2017.   

Compared to the previous project, the SCDP project mainly focused on urban development, specifically urban transport and sanitation of the neighboring communities. The project’s priority is to provide better access to improved drainage, wastewater collection and treatment services, the arterial road network, and public transport.
 

Waste water from the rainwater drainage system run to beaches in Danang City
Image Source: https://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/183184/danang-beaches-covered-in-30-tonnes-of-rubbish.html
  
SCDP : Improve Drainage and Wastewater systems 
Under its tropical monsoon climate, on average, the city receives 2.5 millimeters of rainfall per year. Hence, pursuing a sustainable drainage and wastewater system is directly associated with the residents’ life quality. According to the planning of Da Nang city, the project includes the following; (i) Upgrade and expand rain water drainage systems; (ii) Upgrade and expand the wastewater drainage system; (iii) Renovate boundary of lakes; (iv) Construct and renovate wastewater treatment station; (v) Household Connection Program; and (vi) Procurement of equipment.


SCDP : Pilot Bus System (BRT)
Compared to the population density of Da Nang city, it has an extremely small public transport system. The number of buses available for services in Da Nang’s urban area is only about 40, and buses arrive every 20-30 minutes. Under these circumstances, people highly depend on motorcycles instead. Consequently, a prevalent use of motorcycles and private vehicles as means of transport becomes an obstacle to Da Nang's master plan goal of 2025: becoming the greenest city. Therefore, Da Nang city government put their best commitment to provide an integrated public transport system, comprised of local bus services and Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) project, in an attempt to reduce the reliance on private vehicles. By increasing the number of available services, the City Government expects to cover all major arterial corridors by 2025.

To provide and increase the population's access to mass public transit, the Da Nang City government has established the following measures: 

(i) Fully connected with existing infrastructures;
(ii) Construction on route network;
(iii) Operational plans and bus services on all routes;
(iv) Bus as major means of public transport;
(v) Ticket system and price subsidy policy;
(vi) Infrastructure for the Rapid Bus System (Depot, Top-Bottom, R & R transit points, terminal / stop for BRT bus systems, interchange on BRT #1, Bridge over walk, Road surface);
(vii) Intelligent Transportation Systems for Buses (ITS system); and
(viii) Operational model. Public infrastructure investments are one of the main tools local authorities can use to encourage compact development (including development around transit hubs), encourage alternative modes of transportation (walking, biking, public transportation), and decrease local energy inputs (transportation is one of the most energy-intensive sectors).

SCDP : Strategic Urban Transport Routes  
Building a connection between arterial cities is vital. As part of the Strategic Urban Transport Routes, the Hoa Phuoc – Hoa Khuong route is planned to be constructed. The route will start from the southern ring road of Da Nang city to the Hoa Phuoc Commune for a total length of 8.129,91m*. As a second part of the plan, in Hoa Lien commune, Hoa Vang district, the extended Nguyen Tat Thanh project is under construction. Each major intersection shall be equipped with at least one technical reinforced concrete culvert section, and a complete longitudinal sluice. The routes will have a lighting system to ensure safety and convenience and will have signboards, orchids and road markers on the road signaling system. Construction of technical infrastructure of resettlement areas are the following: North City Ring Road North, Resettlement Area 1 DT 605, Hoa Phong – Hoa Phu Resettlement Area and access road to the area; Hoa Lien commune area, and Khe Can Resettlement area.

SCDP : Capacity building and support for project implementation
In 2012, Da Nang city government created the Da Nang Traffic Light and Public Transport Management Center (DATRAMAC) within the City’s Department of Transport. Through capacity building, Da Nang provides technical assistance to DATRAMAC and Da Nang Waste Water Treatment and Sewerage Company. It is a training center, committed to the improvement of knowledge and skills for project planning. It also supports the implementation of the projects, the procurement of equipment, and management of urban transport planning.

 
SCDP : Activities are transferred from Da Nang priority Infrastructure project
Da Nang has constructed the fundamental base with the previous PIIP project in order to move further on the SCDP project. The fifth component intended to cover the different work implemented within the PIIP. Work items include the following: Construction of a road to link Da Nang to Hoa Phuoc and Da Nang to Hoa Khuong; Construct Hoa Xuan Water Supply Station (capacity 20,000 m3/day); Upgrading Son Tra Co-op station; Construction of Phu Loc river bridge; Supervision safety and services.       

Da Nang's BRT bus route map, *Da Nang BRT official Facebook.2017. https://vi-vn.facebook.com/DanangBRTnews/posts/1776984872612439  

If there is no source of image the Image retrieved from following source: https://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/183184/danang-beaches-covered-in-30-tonnes-of-rubbish.html
   

+ OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS

Outcomes and Impacts


Image Source: http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/176561510204544735/Da-Nang-WB-Partnership-4-Pages-EN.pdf

SCDP has achieved a number of successes
The Drainage and Wastewater Improvement program was successfully accomplished. The sewer is separated from the house, and it connects wastewater collection and the treatment system between houses in the coastal tourism area of My An-My Khe (US$143.60 million). Also, the percentage of urban population provided with clean water by a centralized water supply system has reached 97%. The implemented Bus Rapid Transit Development plan is a much more convenient public transport system. The newly established integrated fare collection system along with the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for public transport and the BRT system improved connectivity between Da Nang and other cities (US$70.22 million). In September 2012, the People’s Council approved a plan for 11 bus routes and 160 buses upon the pilot BRT lines.

The World Bank has given several positive impacts, according to statistics of the World Bank by May 2018, on infrastructures such as transportation, flood protection, and community capacity building. In terms of transportation, compared to 2013, the number of passengers using the bus has doubled to 44,000 in 2017. The Nguyen Tat Thanh extension road, which is 3.4km long, was opened to the public in March 2018, which helped reducing travel time by half. In terms of water drainage system, it is designed to withstand flood damage. Other than flood protection, newly implemented drainages can cover 283 hectare, and more are under construction. Regarding Community Capacity Building and program, the percentage of targeted citizens who participated in the capacity building consultation program was 67%.

+ REPLICABILITY AND SCALABILITY

Replicability and Scalability
Regardless of the challenges Da Nang faced, the city successfully evolved into a more sustainable and liveable city. Rapid urbanization and an accelerated population growth are almost always associated with issues which could have significant impact on municipal infrastructures. Hence for this reason, the Da Nang projects under the partnership with World Bank would give inspiration to other cities in midst of rapid urban growth. Having said that, however, the location of Da Nang city had to be considered as it was significant when setting priorities for municipal infrastructures upgrading.

+ BUDGET AMOUNT

Budget Amount
The total cost was USD 358.32 million, among total expenditure. The World Bank loaned USD 275.02 million.

1. Drainage and Wastewater Improvement - Wastewater Collection and Treatment: development of a separate sewer/house connection system in the coastal tourism area of My An - My Khe:(USD143.60 million)

2. Bus Rapid Transit Development - establishment of an integrated fare collection and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for public transport, including the BRT system.(USD $70.22 Million)

3. Urban Strategic Roads - and the improvement of DH2 (Hoa Nhon - Hoa Son) Road.(USD 94.70 Million)

4. Technical Assistance and Capacity Building:(USD 19.20 Million)

5. Transferred activities from Da Nang Priority Infrastructure Investment Project:(USD 30.60 Million)