A Da Nang delegation working in Sydney on 3 November discussed opening a direct flight with Western Sydney International Airport, Báo Đà Nẵng reports. The delegation was led by Party Deputy Secretary Ngo Xuan Thang, with city People's Committee Vice Chairman Ho Quang Buu. The airport received its first commercial flight on 25 October 2026 and runs around the clock.
The report says the route is still at the preparation and study stage, with no official start date, airline or frequency. The two sides proposed a dedicated contact point, two-way sharing of passenger data, a study of seasonal trial flights and a look at support mechanisms allowed under regulations. Da Nang received 376,981 Australian visitors in the first nine months of 2026, up 43.86% from a year earlier.
On technology, the University of Sydney's wireless engineering lab discussed long-range Wi-Fi, smart sensors and AI. Long-range Wi-Fi could cover hundreds of metres and be fitted to fire, ambulance, police or rescue vehicles, and Da Nang is interested in using it on the Son Tra peninsula and in mountain communes to the west. "Wi-Fi sensing" would detect movement, falls or lack of movement without cameras, with elderly care as the example.
Macquarie University's advanced drone systems centre presented multi-drone cargo lifting, mid-air battery swapping and AI-assisted lidar. A battery-swap project is funded with AUD2.24 million. Macquarie said technical standards and a legal framework are needed first, and that using drones to lift people in rescues is "not yet a commercial solution ready for use".
Da Nang proposed drone uses such as monitoring Son Tra forest, detecting forest fires, finding missing people and assessing storm and flood damage. A joint research centre in Da Nang is only a topic for further talks, not a commitment. After the trip the city plans to survey pilot long-range Wi-Fi sites in Son Tra and Hoa Vang and talk to airlines about route data.
Sources
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