Building Dong Nai into a distinctive, human-centered city

According to the plan, in just over a week, Dong Nai will hold a ceremony to officially announce the establishment of Dong Nai City. Beyond the pride of becoming citizens of this young city, the country’s new growth pole, many residents have shared their reflections and recommendations for ensuring that Dong Nai City develops rapidly and sustainably while preserving its distinct identity, promoting rich humanistic values, and truly becoming a livable city.

Teachers and students of Phu Nghia Secondary School (Phu Nghia Commune) during class. Photo: Hai Yen

Master Hoang Thi Lai, Standing Vice Chairwoman of the Dong Nai City Association

of Intellectual Women:

Aspiration to rise

The establishment of Dong Nai City is an event that validates the Party's and the State's sound vision for advancing the locality's role as a growth pole. I believe that for Dong Nai to be considered a new growth pole, it must focus particularly on the following basic issues:

First, attention should be given to urban planning and management to ensure urban quality, as current urban classification standards have yet to be fully met or remain at a modest level. At the same time, it is necessary to establish specialized development mechanisms and institutions commensurate with building Dong Nai into a major regional city that can share, support, and grow together with other provinces and cities. Rapid development must be accompanied by effective quality control to avoid uncoordinated and overheated growth, particularly in transport infrastructure, environmental management, and living spaces.

Second, attention should be focused on transforming the growth model. Moving beyond an assembly-based industry, Dong Nai needs to promote innovation and develop high-tech industries, the digital economy, and the green economy in line with global development trends.

Third, priority should be given to human and cultural development. A major city must not only possess strong economic potential but also maintain a distinct identity and rich humanistic values, while ensuring social security and improving the quality of education, healthcare, and the spiritual life of the people.

Finally, attention should be paid to environmental protection and sustainable development. The pressures of urbanization require Dong Nai to take the lead in implementing solutions to protect natural resources, control pollution, and adapt to climate change.

Pham Van Hoang, Standing Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Literature

and Arts Association:

Development must be sustainable

Dong Nai becoming a city is not merely an administrative transition, but an important milestone reflecting the development of a land rich in tradition, dynamism, and potential. The people of Dong Nai feel both proud and hopeful, as Dong Nai is not only developing in industry and urbanization, but is also gradually shaping its own distinct identity in the flow of modern life.

Alongside that joy, I also have concerns. Amid the rapid process of urbanization, how can Dong Nai preserve its cultural and historical values, its ecological spaces, and the compassionate, community-minded way of life that has long formed the soul of this land? Development without losing oneself is extremely important.

I hope that the city’s leadership will devote greater attention to sustainable development through synchronized urban planning, environmental protection, investment in culture and human development, and especially the substantive improvement of the people’s quality of life. At the same time, it is important to create favorable conditions for residents, artists, and intellectuals to contribute ideas and join hands in building Dong Nai into a modern city with a distinct identity. I believe that if it follows the right direction, Dong Nai will not only become a major urban center but also a livable city where every citizen feels a sense of pride and attachment.

Nguyen Thi Thuong, Principal of Nguyen Hue Primary School (Tan Phu ward):

Efforts to develop a commensurate educational environment

Over the past few days, the school’s faculty has expressed great joy over the establishment of Dong Nai City. As citizens of Dong Nai City, we are fully aware that every teacher must continue striving in their work to help build an educational environment worthy of a new city.

We hope that, after Tan Phu is upgraded to ward status and Dong Nai officially becomes a city, greater attention and investment will continue to be directed toward all areas, particularly to improve facilities and teaching equipment.

The school’s staff, teachers, and employees will continue to make greater efforts to develop the educational environment and further improve the quality of teaching to meet the educational requirements of the new era.

Nguyen Nho Kien, Director of Meerkat Travel Travel Service Co., Ltd.

(Dinh Quan commune):

Specific mechanisms needed for forest eco-tourism development

Dong Nai City is striving for green, sustainable urban development, aiming to become an ecological center of the Southeast region. I strongly support this policy because, as a business operating in the field of forest eco-tourism, we recognize that Dong Nai possesses favorable conditions to develop into a livable city.

Dong Nai has extremely valuable forest resources, but has yet to develop them to their full potential, particularly in forest and lake eco-tourism.

I hope that Dong Nai City will create mechanisms and policies to support the development of tourism in general, and the forest and lake eco-tourism sector in particular. I believe that with the city’s attention and support, tourism enterprises, especially those specializing in experiential and adventure tours such as Meerkat Travel, will have favorable conditions to develop and effectively tap into unique tourism products, attract more visitors to Dong Nai, and contribute to enhancing the city’s economic value in the service and tourism sectors.

Ho Dang Hieu, a resident in hamlet 4, Xuan Que commune:

Expectations for early operation of key local projects

Xuan Que commune is undergoing strong transformation alongside other localities in Dong Nai City following the implementation of the two-tier local government model. The commune holds advantages in agriculture and an increasingly developed transport network, including the Xuan Que–Long Khanh road project, Ring Road 1, and the DT770B route connecting with many surrounding areas. Therefore, the commune is well positioned to transition its economic development model from one primarily based on agriculture to an industrial-service structure, with a focus on the 1,000-hectare Xuan Que–Song Nhan Industrial Park project.

In this transition process, the people, especially farmers in Xuan Que commune, have shown their readiness to relinquish the land to which they have been attached for decades, land they once reclaimed and cultivated, so that local and central authorities can implement development projects, create breakthrough momentum for the socio-economic growth of the locality and the city, and improve the living standards of the people.

Therefore, the people of Xuan Que Commune hope that key infrastructure, transport, service, and industrial projects in the area will soon be implemented and put into operation in accordance with the approved plans and timelines. These projects are expected to create opportunities for the locality to join the development pulse of Dong Nai City, which is striving to accelerate and reach greater heights.

By staff writers – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho