Artists and actors from the Dong Nai Art Theater perform online. Photo: My Ny

With a history spanning more than 325 years of formation and growth, Dong Nai is progressively reaffirming the role of culture as an important endogenous resource, helping to build a civilized, modern, and happy urban area in the new era.

Harnessing resources from a rich cultural and historical background

Dong Nai is a welcoming land where people settle and thrive. The province is home to numerous ethnic groups, creating a diverse and culturally rich landscape. Over the years, Party committees and authorities at all levels in the province have continuously given priority to the direction and leadership of cultural development. The historical and traditional cultural values of the nation, as well as the distinctive culture of the land and people of Dong Nai, are being preserved and promoted. This provides the province with a solid foundation to build a cultural development strategy connected to the urbanization and integration processes.
Le Thi Ngoc Loan, Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "There are currently 121 recognized relics across the province, along with nearly 1,500 inventoried relics." Many of them are important cultural and historical relics in the Southeast region including the Tran Bien Temple of Literature and the Temple and Tomb of Marquis Nguyen Huu Canh (Tran Bien ward); the Southeast Regional Party Committee Base (Tri An commune); the Central Bureau for Southern Vietnam Base (Phu Ly commune); and the Command Headquarters for the Liberation Army of South Vietnam (Ta Thiet Military Base, Loc Thanh commune).”
In the 2020-2025 period alone, Dong Nai funded over 161 billion VND for the restoration and embellishment of monuments. The province maintained more than 100 traditional festivals each year, reflecting the rich spiritual life of the ethnic communities. Notably, the system of cultural institutions was invested in, constructed, and put into efficient operation at all levels, from the province to the grassroots. With over 90% of residential areas and over 95% of households meeting cultural standards, the "All people unite to build a cultural life" movement continued to spread widely, creating a healthy and humane living environment.

Master Tran Quang Toai, Chairman of the Dong Nai Association of Historical Sciences, believes that in the process of Dong Nai becoming a centrally governed city, cultural growth needs to be given equal weight with economic development. This spirit was clearly affirmed by the Politburo in Resolution No. 80 on the development of Vietnamese culture.
Relating to practical reality, Tran Quang Toai emphasized, “Dong Nai possesses diverse cultural resources that, if identified and exploited in the right direction, will become an important driving force for sustainable urban development. In particular, it is necessary to focus on classifying heritage groups, such as Dong Nai River heritage associated with the history of reclamation and expansion; industrial heritage linked with the imprint of the Bien Hoa Industrial Zone - the cradle of the Southern working class before 1975; and the system of revolutionary historical heritage rich in traditional educational value.”

A driving force for rapid and sustainable development

According to Master Tran Quang Toai, Dong Nai is developing urban areas, including the Long Thanh Airport urban area. Under the Law on Cultural Heritage, the cultural sector needs to proactively propose and ensure that archaeological work goes one step ahead in order to preserve heritage values during the course of development. Additionally, investigating the classification of Cu Lao Pho (Pho Islet), a region that is home to numerous distinctive monuments and festivals, is also considered a necessary direction, contributing to the formation of characteristic cultural and tourism products and elevating Dong Nai's position on its journey to becoming a centrally governed city.
People's Artist Giang Manh Ha, Chairman of the Dong Nai Association of Literature and Arts, said, “Dong Nai’s elevation to a centrally governed city opens up great opportunities for all sectors, including culture and arts. For artists and writers, this is a new developmental milestone, inspiring them to produce more works and spread the word about Dong Nai to friends in the region and the world. Culture is not only a spiritual foundation but also a “soft power” that helps Dong Nai shape its identity. When its stature and position change with specific mechanisms, it will help culture and arts develop in sync with socio-economic growth.”
To ensure the cultural sector develops in a comprehensive and sustainable direction, Dong Nai needs to focus on building and developing culture and sports in a modern, synchronized manner, promoting traditional values linked to human development and fostering sustainable socio-economic growth. Emphasis should be placed on building a healthy cultural environment and developing the people of Dong Nai to be comprehensive, rich in identity, compassion, creativity, and integration.
According to Le Thi Ngoc Loan, in the coming time, the sector will continue to build, upgrade, and improve the system of cultural and sports institutions from the provincial to the grassroots levels, satisfying the demands of the people for both physical training and cultural enjoyment. This includes preserving, restoring, and promoting the value of monuments, scenic spots, and tangible and intangible cultural heritage; and developing craft villages linked to traditional education, tourism development, and the construction of local cultural identity.
In addition, Dong Nai will also keep developing cultural industries, promoting artistic creative activities, and forming creative spaces for artists and writers. The “All people unite to build a cultural life” movement will be implemented extensively, while investment in building large-scale cultural and sports facilities will be intensified to meet the requirements for hosting national, regional, and international cultural and sports events.

There are currently 93 out of 95 communes and wards that have established general service centers; 1,703 out of 1,775 villages, hamlets, and neighborhoods have cultural houses (reaching 95.9%); and there are 16 ethnic cultural houses across the province.