A working delegation from Vietnam's central Da Nang City, led by Mr. Ngo Xuan Thang, Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, on November 3 held working sessions with research institutions and aviation partners in Sydney, Australia, according to the online newspaper of Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).
Discussions focused on promoting a direct air route between Da Nang and Western Sydney, deploying wireless connectivity solutions and smart sensing technologies, and collaborating on drone technology research and commercialization.
At the University of Sydney, the delegation met with Professor Yonghui Li, Director of the Wireless Engineering Laboratory, and research scientists specializing in wireless telecommunications. The university team presented cutting-edge research findings on long-range Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi sensing, artificial intelligence (AI), and their practical applications in daily life, manufacturing, and urban administration.
Notably, the long-range Wi-Fi solution can extend connectivity coverage to hundreds of meters—or even further under optimal conditions.
Given Da Nang’s distinct topography, the delegation expressed particular interest in deploying this solution across the city's Son Tra Peninsula and western mountainous communes, where terrain fragmentation still creates telecommunication blind spots.
Another featured research direction was Wi-Fi Sensing, which analyzes movement patterns and detects behavioral anomalies to bolster security warnings and support eldercare monitoring.
Discussing the investment climate, Mr. Vu Quang Hung, Head of the Da Nang High-Tech Park and Industrial Zones Authority (DSEZA), highlighted the city’s strengths in attracting research and development (R&D), technology transfer, hardware design, and equipment manufacturing at the Da Nang High-Tech Park.
Advancing direct air route
At Western Sydney International Airport (WSI), Mr. Thang and the delegation met with airport leadership to explore the viability of launching a direct air link between Da Nang and New South Wales' newest aviation gateway.
WSI officially commenced passenger operations on October 25. In this initial stage of network development, WSI presents substantial opportunities to access emerging international markets, including Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Da Nang’s leadership emphasized that the Da Nang – Western Sydney air corridor would not only serve tourism demand, but also stimulate bilateral trade, investment inflows, educational exchange, and people-to-people ties between Central Vietnam and Australia.
Market momentum provides strong justification for the proposed route. In the first nine months of 2026, Da Nang welcomed 376,981 Australian visitors, up 43.86% year-on-year.
During the meeting, the Da Nang side proposed coordinating closely with commercial airlines to conduct market feasibility studies, determine optimal flight frequencies, and roll out destination marketing campaigns alongside regulatory route promotion support. These discussions aim to lay a practical foundation for establishing direct air connectivity between Da Nang and Western Sydney in the near future.
Drone tech cooperation with Macquarie University
Also within the working agenda in Sydney, Mr. Hung chaired a working session with the Advanced Drone Systems Research Centre at Macquarie University.
During the discussion, he outlined several practical operational challenges tailored to Da Nang’s geography and infrastructure: multi-sensor UAV-based surveillance of coastal waters, forests, and river basins; early forest fire detection and search-and-rescue support; infrastructure and environmental monitoring; low-altitude logistics research; and commercial drone light displays for tourism and festive events.
Accordingly, the representative proposed exploring collaboration to establish an R&D and testing facility, develop specialized software, and commercialize UAV technologies at the Da Nang High-Tech Park, engaging active participation from universities and industry partners.
Google translate