Nihibayashi Yasushi, who has been in Vietnam for 10 years, and who has worked as a manager at an IT company in Hanoi, as a weekly magazine writer, and as the representative of a local swimming school, and who is currently serving as a manager of an animation studio, talks about what he found in Danang.
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The situation of changes over the four years since I moved in
The other day, a Japanese person returning to Japan from Da Nang was asked, "How long are you planning to stay in Vietnam?" Currently, I work as a self-employed person, so it's up to me to decide whether to return to Japan or not. There are many good things about Vietnam, but when I think about it again, I've realized that I'm now attracted to the city of Da Nang.
It was four years ago that I moved from Ho Chi Minh City to Danang. The impact of the coronavirus is still lingering, and many businesses have closed, leaving fewer tourists. Over the past four years, Danang has continued to change every year.
For example, in terms of the rent for the apartment I live in, the first month’s rent was 6.5 million VND. Now it has risen to 11 million VND. I was surprised to hear that they plan to raise the price to 15 million VND when I next renew my lease, and I’ve started looking for other apartments.
The neighborhood where I live is by the beach, but four years ago it was a local area with only Vietnamese people living there. About last year, when a large resort hotel opened nearby, suddenly a convenience store, laundry shop, rental bike shop, and restaurants started popping up, and the number of residents who are foreigners also increased. There are many Westerners, and I’ve even seen people walking their dogs there.
The prices in Bali in Indonesia and Pattaya in Thailand have increased, and many people are moving to Danang.
Ordinary life that diverges from Danan's future vision?
This year and next year, large-scale real estate development projects are scheduled to open in Danang.
San Symphony, managed by the Sangru Group along the Humber River, is scheduled to open in June this year. It is a large project consisting of three tower high-rise apartments and a low-rise villa shop house area. Many units have already been sold, and resale has been taking place even before the opening.
In the future, there is also a plan to build a submarine tunnel under the sea from Danang Airport to Hung Vuong, which would connect directly to the airport.
Also along the Han River, the "Capital Square" project by the BRG Group is even larger. It is being developed as the largest mixed-use city in Danang, featuring 14 high-rise apartment buildings, a large commercial complex, and schools.
In addition, an IT park and several financial centers are also planned, and in five years’ time the landscape of Danang will be significantly different.
However, when I looked at the job posting posters for McDonald's, the price of Big Mac was set at 79,000 VND, while the hourly wage was 25,500 VND and the monthly salary was 7 million VND.
When talking about Danang, seafood comes to mind, but when watching the fishermen at work, they seem to be using traditional methods and tools, and they are not benefiting from the benefits of the rising prices of various goods.
With Danang’s development and rising prices, I’m a little worried about whether the standard of living of ordinary people will continue to improve.
