Tapping into the potential of back-to-roots tourism for students

With more than 120 ranked relics and around 1,500 unclassified relics already listed, Dong Nai's tourist sector has significant potential for developing back-to-roots tourism for students.

The Giao Te House Relic in Loc Ninh commune is one of the meaningful destinations for students. Photo: Ngoc Lien

Destinations such as Tran Bien Temple of Literature, Nguyen Huu Canh Temple, and Buu Long Tourist Area (in Tran Bien ward); La Nga Victory Monument and Da Chong Relic (in Dinh Quan commune); Ta Thiet Military Base (Special Relic Area of the headquarters of the National Liberation Army of South Vietnam in Loc Thanh commune); Giao Te House Relic (in Loc Ninh commune); and War Zone D Revolutionary Base (in Tri An commune) are not only historical and cultural destinations for visitors but also places where students can learn history lessons from reality.

Learning history through practical experiences

Recently, the number of tourists visiting historical relics and scenic spots in the province has increased steadily. In particular, tourist groups from schools, agencies and units in the province have increased significantly, contributing to diversifying Dong Nai’s tourism market. Historical relics and scenic destinations have become “red addresses,” welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors and students each year for sightseeing and incense offering.

When she was a student in Dong Nai, Truong Hong Ngoc (from Tan Trieu ward) joined her school’s extracurricular tours. Now a second-year student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, she still enjoys visiting nearby historical sites, such as Tran Bien Temple of Literature and Nguyen Huu Canh Temple during the Tet holiday for sightseeing and taking photos. Ngoc shared that those sites not only have beautiful scenery for her friends and her to visit and take photos but also hold memories of the years back then when her school often organized visits for incense offering and learning about the history and cultural traditions of the old Bien Hoa land.

In the first quarter of 2026, Dong Nai Museum and several relics in the province welcomed nearly 58,000 visitors. Specifically, the museum welcomed nearly 15,000 visitors, while Tran Bien Temple of Literature, Nguyen Huu Canh Temple, Binh Truoc Assembly Hall and Tan Hiep Prison attracted nearly 39,000 visitors, etc.

Representing a unit with many years of experience organizing back-to-roots tours for students in the province, Nguyen Thanh Sang, Director of Golden Trip Tourist Co., Ltd. (Trang Dai ward), said after the Lunar New Year, many schools organize back-to-roots programs for students to visit relic sites and enjoy entertainment at tourist areas. Currently, Dong Nai has several back-to-roots tourism routes suitable for students, such as La Nga Victory Monument – Suoi Mo Tourist Area – Cocoa Garden route in Dinh Quan, Tan Phu and Phu Hoa areas; Tran Bien Temple of Literature – Marquis Nguyen Huu Canh Temple – Buu Long Tourist Area route (in Tran Bien ward); and Ta Thiet Military Base route.

To ensure safety when organizing back-to-roots tours for students, Nguyen Thanh Sang said the company always strictly controls meal quality and assigns staff to be in charge of each student group in order to manage numbers and provide timely support when needed. In addition, to ensure the best results for students’ field trips, the company always arranges tour guides at destinations to introduce the sites so students gain more historical knowledge and better understand the traditions of solidarity and patriotism of the Vietnamese people.

Preserving and promoting historical values

With advantages and potential in relics and scenic spots, in recent years, the province has paid attention to preserving and restoring destinations in order to maintain and promote historical and cultural values.

Students experience pottery making at Buu Long Tourist Area. Photo: Ngoc Lien

Thieu Quang Tan, Head of the Culture and Social Division of Dinh Quan commune, said the commune currently has several historical relics, communal houses and temples widely known to many residents and visitors, such as La Nga Victory Monument, Da Chong scenic site, and Thac Mai – Bau Nuoc Soi area under the management of Tan Phu Protection Forest Management Board. Among them, La Nga Victory Monument is one of the “red addresses” visited by many agencies and schools in the province for sightseeing and incense offering, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year thanks to its location next to National Highway 20, on a hill beside the La Nga River. In recent years, relics and scenic sites in the commune have received attention from provincial and local authorities for restoration and renovation to serve residents and visitors.

As the unit managing several major relic sites of the province that attract tens of thousands of visitors each year, Dong Nai Museum always pays attention to preserving and promoting historical values at the destinations under its management. Sharing on this matter, Nguyen Ngoc Yen, Director of Dong Nai Museum, said in 2025, Dong Nai Museum and relic sites in the province welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to learn about history at destinations such as Tran Bien Temple of Literature, Nguyen Huu Canh Temple, Bien Hoa Ancient Citadel, Tan Hiep Prison, Giao Te House, and the Headquarters of the Logistics Department of the Southern Vietnam Liberation Army. Among them, most visitors were student groups from schools inside and outside the province coming for sightseeing, study, and learning about national history. These are useful and meaningful extracurricular lessons for students.

To further improve service quality and preserve historical and cultural values, Dong Nai Museum has been assigned to restore several relics. Additionally, the museum will gradually digitize information about the relic sites to better serve visitors.

By Ngoc Lien – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha