Promoting the "life path" of Da Nang - Hoi An

The tourism "lifeline" of Da Nang - Hoi An is facing a new turning point if the connecting traffic infrastructure is established and upgraded.

Co Co River was the "bloodline" connecting Da Nang and Hoi An in the past but is being silted up in Dien Ban Dong ward. Photo: QUOC TUAN

Interaction from history

The Da Nang - Hoi An connection axis has had a close resonance through the ages regardless of administrative boundaries. More than 400 years ago, when the Hoi An trading port began to flourish, the connection between Da Nang and Hoi An gradually took shape.

Although at that time, Hoi An was the destination of most merchants, to reach Hoi An, one could not help but know Da Nang because Da Nang was considered the gateway leading to Hoi An.

Mr. Bui Van Tieng, Chairman of the Da Nang City Historical Science Association, said that the commercial port space of Hoi An in the 17th - 18th century stretched from Cu Lao Cham to Cua Han and to Cua Dai via Lo Canh Giang (Co Co River). At that time, ships from the South to Hoi An often entered Cua Dai, while ships from the North entered from Cua Han, but large ships mainly had to go through Cua Han to enter Hoi An.

Over time, from the second half of the 18th century, the urban positions of Da Nang and Hoi An gradually changed, with Da Nang rising from being a satellite destination for transportation and trade to becoming the international trade center of the region.

Over the years, although there were times when they were not in the same administrative unit, the interaction between Hoi An ancient town and the young, dynamic city of Da Nang was still very close, affirming the role as the "lifeline" driving force in the socio -economic development of Quang Nam.

Because of this special connection, since the French colonial period, when Tourane and Faifoo were still there, the French paid attention to the transportation between Da Nang and Hoi An in all forms from road, rail to waterway. Notably, a steam train line existed on this axis in the early years of the 20th century to share with waterway traffic due to the silting of the Co Co River.

The road connecting Da Nang - Hoi An through Ngu Hanh Son ward. Photo: QUOC TUAN

Waiting for multimodal transport to form

In addition to traditional trade, the connection between Da Nang and Hoi An is increasingly focused on when Da Nang - Hoi An becomes a branded tour with national and international stature.

With millions of tourists traveling back and forth between the two cities each year, the road infrastructure, although improved over time, still cannot meet the development needs of this connecting axis. The coastal route with two lanes in each direction has times when traffic is quite difficult due to the increasing density of tourist vehicles.

While the Son Tra - Dien Ngoc route to the center of Hoi An has a larger lane scale, it is facing some prolonged "bottlenecks" in site clearance in Dien Ban Dong ward and Hoi An Tay ward to complete the entire route.

Once under the same administrative unit, the interest of the Da Nang - Hoi An axis is increasingly focused on railway and waterway traffic to concretize the multimodal transport development plan of the new city.

Recently, Deo Ca Group has proposed investing in an urban railway line from Da Nang city to Hoi An following the transport-oriented urban development (TOD) model using the public-private partnership (PPP) method, ensuring resources and the ability to complete by 2030.

According to Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Quang Nam, before the merger, Da Nang had established a working group to study investment in an urban railway connecting with Quang Nam. Now, the implementation of the plan will be more convenient when foreign traffic has become domestic traffic.

Meanwhile, the plan to dredge and clear the waterway of Co Co River (the total length of the route is about 28km) has been implemented for about 2 decades but so far it is still struggling in Dien Ban Dong ward. The merger of the two localities of Quang Nam - Da Nang is expected to strongly promote the process of dredging the Co Co River to contribute to opening up a rare "lifeline" for tourism.

At a workshop on Hoi An urban planning, Architect Ngo Trung Hai, former Director of the National Institute for Urban and Rural Planning, said: "If a railway-waterway connection is formed, especially the Da Nang - Hoi An urban railway system, it will both increase the experience for tourists and create an opportunity to reduce the concentration of population in the central urban area."

It can be seen that promoting multimodal transport on the Da Nang - Hoi An route is suitable for practical requirements and is at the "ripe" time for promotion. Promoting a multimodal transport system on this axis not only lays the foundation for future development but also evokes the identity of a unique economic region in the past.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/thuc-day-sinh-lo-da-nang-hoi-an-3303218.html