Da Nang, Sunwah Strengthen Innovation Cooperation, Explore Regulatory Sandbox for New Technologies

On the morning of August 28, Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee and Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Nguyen Manh Hung received and worked with Dr. Jonathan Choi, Chairman of the Sunwah Group (Hong Kong), to discuss opportunities for cooperation in innovation, finance, high-tech healthcare, logistics, and international investment connectivity.

Sunwah identifies Da Nang as the Group's next strategic investment destination (Photo: Van Toan)

At the meeting, Dr. Jonathan Choi said that Sunwah Group highly values Da Nang's development potential, not only in tourism but increasingly in the economy, technology, and innovation. Sunwah identifies Da Nang as the Group's next strategic investment destination in Vietnam.

According to the Chairman of Sunwah Group, in addition to the orientation of researching cooperation in the development of the Financial Centre in Da Nang, Sunwah wishes to participate in expanding the innovation network and connecting the city with international partners, experts, and innovation ecosystems.

In particular, Sunwah's representative proposed researching and piloting new technologies in several potential fields in Da Nang. In logistics, the Group proposed studying a sandbox mechanism in Da Nang to test autonomous electric trucks, while applying advanced technologies and digital transformation to optimize port operations.

The study of a sandbox mechanism is expected to create a controlled testing environment for new models, technologies, and solutions, thereby assessing their feasibility before wider deployment. This approach is also consistent with the goal of building a favorable environment for technology enterprises, startups, and international partners to bring new solutions into practical application.

In the financial sector, Sunwah is actively participating in consulting on the development of the International Financial Centre in Ho Chi Minh City and wishes to explore cooperation opportunities in Da Nang, focusing on emerging fields such as Fintech, Web3, and digital assets, while strengthening connections between Vietnam's financial ecosystem and major markets.

In high-tech healthcare, the Group proposed researching and piloting advanced medical technologies and healthcare solutions, including stem cell technology.

Delegates attending the meeting (Photo: Van Toan)

Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Nguyen Manh Hung said that the areas of cooperation proposed by Sunwah are consistent with Da Nang's key development orientations. The city is focusing on developing ecosystems for innovation, finance, logistics, and high-quality healthcare; at the same time, it is ready to coordinate to put the Innovation Centre into operation, creating additional space to connect enterprises, experts, investors, and international partners.

Regarding the Financial Centre, the Chairman of the municipal People's Committee said that Da Nang is developing products and services related to the commodity market, investment funds, and the carbon credit market. These are areas with potential for the city and Sunwah to study and cooperate in.

For logistics, Da Nang has advantages in its seaport and international airport systems and is continuing to upgrade its infrastructure. The city wishes to attract capable groups with experience and advanced technologies to participate in developing modern logistics infrastructure and services, including research into the application of new technologies.

Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Nguyen Manh Hung requested that the specialized departments of both sides soon develop a specific action plan and identify areas that can be implemented immediately. Some programs, such as the Innovation Centre, investment promotion forums, and international partner connectivity programs, can be studied for implementation as early as 2026.

The Chairman of the municipal People's Committee expressed his expectation that cooperation between Da Nang and Sunwah Group would soon be concretized into practical programs and projects, thereby attracting additional international resources, technologies, and high-quality human resources and contributing to building Da Nang into a regional centre for innovation, finance, logistics, and modern healthcare.

Sunwah Group works with the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology

On the same day, Sunwah Group continued working with the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology to discuss in greater depth opportunities for technology connectivity and the implementation of innovation projects in Da Nang. At the meeting, Sunwah introduced its partner network in China, particularly in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, in the fields of logistics, innovation, high technology, and healthcare; at the same time, the Group expressed its desire to connect enterprises and technology solutions within this network with Da Nang to seek suitable environments and partners for bringing technologies into practical application.

At the meeting, Mr. Jesse Choi, General Director of Sunwah Group in Southeast Asia and CEO of Sunwah Innovations, expressed interest in the possibility of accessing sandbox and pilot mechanisms and technology testing environments in Da Nang, including for blockchain, medical technology, and new technologies. The Group also proposed researching UAV/drone solutions, logistics, and the application of AI in various fields.

Regarding these matters, Mr. Le Son Phong, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology, said that the possibility of implementing sandbox and pilot mechanisms for each technology needs to be considered specifically, as it may involve mechanisms, permits, and the authority of regulatory agencies. If Sunwah has a specific, practical project that meets the relevant conditions, the two sides may continue to study the possibility of piloting certain UAV/drone and logistics solutions in industrial parks or other suitable locations.

For the technologies and ideas introduced by Sunwah, the Department proposed moving from the exchange of ideas to specific project proposals, clearly identifying the technology, the problem to be addressed, the implementation model, and cooperation needs. At the same time, the Department will support connecting the Group with suitable enterprises and organizations in Da Nang to identify actual needs, assess applicability, and gradually put technological solutions into implementation.

Within the framework of the meeting, the two sides also discussed leveraging Sunwah Group's partner network in China and Hong Kong to expand Da Nang's connections with investors, high-tech enterprises, and international resources, thereby promoting research and cooperation in data centres, technology infrastructure, human resource development, and strengthening connections with the International Financial Centre in Da Nang.