(VOVworld) - The 2013 Central Coast Regional Investment Promotion Conference opened in Da Nang on Thursday for central coast cities and provinces to promote their potential and seek investment opportunities.

During the 2-day event, 400 officials and investors will discuss the region’s socio-economic issues and worked to connect theory to practice. Associate Professor Tran Dinh Thien is Director of the Vietnam Economics Institute. "The first thing the provinces should do is conduct development re-planning to create more widespread connections. Once the central regions’ advantages in tourism development are fully tapped, linkage with the central highlands should be done."

High on the agenda was a strategy for industrial and tourism development. Bui Tat Thang, Director of the Institute of Development Strategy of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, suggested solutions to promote industry and industrial collaboration in the central region. "In order to link the industrial sectors together in regional development, it’s necessary to follow the regional master plan. The mechanism and policy should create breakthroughs in land rent tax and environmental solutions to help ensure sustainable development." Thang says.

Regarding tourist development, delegates said that tourism was a priority for the central region. Localities should actively cooperate to build inter-regional tourism packages, providing high quality services.

The central region hosts 734 projects worth 30 billion USD in total.