Dong Nai makes strides in comprehensive transformation

Leading the Southeast region in economic scale and GRDP growth, Dong Nai is emerging as a dynamic hub for comprehensive integration while preserving its strong cultural identity.

A Binh Long Ward police officer assists a resident in installing the VNeTraffic transport application. Photo: Cam Lien

This transformation reflects the collective determination of the Provincial Party Committee, authorities, and people of Dong Nai to promote unity, innovation, and comprehensive development.

Upholding the tradition of innovation and creativity

Leafing through the memoir Mot chut goi la and speaking directly with former Chairman of the Dong Nai Provincial People’s Committee Huynh Van Binh (Nam Binh), we can sense a vivid picture of Dong Nai’s development after the country’s renovation period. Nam Binh shared, "In the early years following the renovation period, Dong Nai was among the first localities in the country to plan and develop industrial parks. The initial planning framework included 17 industrial parks. The province successfully carried out its first overseas investment promotion trips to Taiwan, followed by Thailand, China, Japan, and South Korea. These efforts opened the door to foreign investment attraction and international cooperation, laying the foundation for Dong Nai to become a key economic center of the Southern region.”

Nam Binh added that, early on, the leaders of Dong Nai province embraced a "bold" mindset for innovation. The 6th Congress of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee made an innovative "breakthrough" when it proposed a policy to shift the economic structure from “agriculture–forestry, industry, trade and services” to “industry, agriculture, trade and services”. Since then, Dong Nai has continued to transform, emerging as a national leader in industrial park development and exports. Today, the province still maintains its brand as one of the country’s industrial flagships. This accomplishment is the result of an economic restructuring carried out in the right direction, in line with the times.

After 40 years of national renovation, and with decisive, bold action during the period of mergers and streamlining the organizational apparatus, Dong Nai is among the provinces with one of the largest economic scales and high economic growth. In 2025, the province's GRDP growth reached 9.63% (the highest since 2016), 1.13 percentage points above the Government's target, and the fastest in the Southeast region. Dong Nai has affirmed itself as one of the Southeast region’s key growth poles. The economic structure continues to shift in the right direction, with industry and construction remaining the main engines, trade and services rebounding quickly, and agriculture developing steadily toward modern, sustainable models.

The provincial economy reached nearly VND 680 trillion in 2025, ranking fourth nationwide after Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Hai Phong. Total budget revenue that year reached VND 102.9 trillion, equal to 146% of the Government estimate, and exceeding the targets set out in the Provincial Party Committee’s Resolution. The province attracted more than VND 163 trillion in domestic investment capital and over USD 3 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), ranking Dong Nai among the country’s leading investment destinations.

Planning has also been carried out with breakthrough thinking, successfully removing long-standing "bottlenecks". Major infrastructure projects, particularly Long Thanh International Airport and key transport networks, are being pushed forward at a rapid pace, not only as infrastructure works but also as strategic drivers reshaping the region's development landscape.

Notably, Dong Nai also recorded a significant step forward in transitioning toward a sustainable growth model and environmental protection, taking the lead in setting commitments to achieve the "net zero" emission target by 2050 and consistently attracting selective investment. The "greening" rate of production in various sectors has increased, gradually transforming some existing industrial parks into eco-industrial park models.

According to Pham Viet Phuong, Deputy Head of the Dong Nai Economic and Industrial Zones Authority, eco-industrial parks are increasingly becoming a decisive factor for investors seeking sustainable development opportunities. Newly established industrial parks are encouraged to adopt eco-industrial park models from the design and construction stages through to operation. During the investment attraction process, the Dong Nai Economic and Industrial Zones Authority selects industries capable of meeting industrial symbiosis criteria, ensuring effective linkage, exchange, and efficient use of resources, energy, and waste among enterprises within industrial parks. This challenge is even more significant in the context of the 1st Dong Nai Provincial Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term, which set the goal of developing Dong Nai into a green, prosperous, civilized, and modern province.

Dong Nai launches the Xuan Que - Song Nhan Industrial Park Project. Photo: Le Hoang Vu

Digital life movement

During the country’s period of transformation, with new mindsets and approaches, farmers in the digital era have boldly stepped into the digital economy and proactively embraced change. A typical example is the Long Binh Durian Cooperative (Binh Tan Commune). With the support of machinery and innovative agricultural technologies, the cooperative has achieved durian yields ranging from 8 to 20 tons per hectare, with average profits of 700 million to 1 billion VND per hectare. The cooperative currently has 29 members who have proactively digitized their orchards in accordance with VietGAP standards across more than 100 hectares. Of this area, over 40 hectares have been granted official growing-area codes for export to China, while procedures are underway to obtain codes for nearly 7 additional hectares.

Trinh The Hao, Deputy Director of the Long Binh Durian Cooperative, said cooperative members are applying digital transformation in agricultural production by using an app to manage soil, water, and fertilizers. This undertaking enables them to keep complete cultivation logbooks with clear traceability. Digital transformation has strongly supported the cooperative in managing members and expanding operations, helping reduce fertilizer and pesticide use while ensuring compliance with procedures to deliver clean, safe production.

Digital technology is being strongly promoted within the educational environment in Dong Nai. In the photo: Students from Binh Phuoc Ward participating in the 2nd Dong Nai Provincial Robotics Competition 2025. Photo: Cam Lien

In the socio-cultural sector, implementing Resolution No. 71-NQ/TW dated August 22, 2025, issued by the Politburo on breakthrough development in education and training, Quang Trung High School for the Gifted (Dong Xoai Ward) has effectively applied innovative and creative approaches in teaching and learning. Artificial intelligence (AI), in particular, serves as an innovative tool supporting students’ creativity and future career orientation without diminishing the leading role of teachers.

Ngo Nhat Chau, a student of Class 11H at Quang Trung High School for the Gifted, shared that applying creative technologies has helped him define his future direction. Since Grade 10, he has been interested in artificial intelligence and is currently pursuing this field while participating in the school’s academic excellence team, researching AI-related topics.

Pham Hong Thang, Deputy Director of the Dong Nai Department of Education and Training, stated that following the directive on “breakthrough development in education and training” outlined in Resolution 71-NQ/TW of the Politburo, the province’s education sector is determined to implement the spirit of “discipline – creativity – breakthrough – development.” The education sector focuses on promoting comprehensive, practical digital transformation by maximizing the use of sector-specific databases, management software, and digital learning resources, while equipping both teachers and students with digital skills. Technology is thus becoming a powerful tool for innovating teaching methods and improving education quality.

Beyond that, digital transformation has also become an indispensable component in Party-building activities, including planning, reporting, and other operational applications.

Nguyen Thi Cat Tien, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairwoman of the People’s Council of Xuan Loc Commune, shared, “At present, the province is placing special emphasis on digital transformation. Digital transformation is one of the province’s top priorities in all activities, including Party-building work. For example, since the 1st Dong Nai Provincial Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term, digital transformation, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence have been widely applied. I see this as a breakthrough in the current period and in the time ahead. We will also apply this strategic innovation in the new phase, the new term.”

The year 2025 marked a remarkable breakthrough thanks to the strong application of digital transformation. Digital solutions have permeated the province’s key sectors, including public administration, education, healthcare, and everyday life. The digital lifestyle has expanded deeply into administrative procedures managed by both authorities and citizens. The provincial index for serving people and businesses has surged from 31st to 3rd nationwide, confirming the transition toward a service-oriented administration where citizen and business satisfaction serves as a key performance measure. Digital technology has truly become an effective tool for enhancing provincial competitiveness.

Through determined actions, strategic planning, and concrete implementation solutions under the Action Program for the Resolution of the 1st Provincial Party Congress (2025-2030 term), alongside the local implementation of strategic resolutions from the Politburo and central authorities, a comprehensively developing Dong Nai is taking shape and is poised for strong growth in the new era.

Currently, Dong Nai is regarded as the country’s industrial “capital,” with plans for 83 industrial parks. The province is also pioneering the transformation of existing industrial parks and promoting new investments toward green, ecological, and circular industrial park models for sustainable development.

By Cam Lien – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho