Dong Nai City’s nearly 330-year history  

 After nearly 330 years of formation and development, the land of ancient Tran Bien – now Dong Nai City – is rapidly developing into a dynamic metropolis and a crucial hub for industry, culture and commerce for the entire country.

Dong Nai City solemnly holds a ceremony to mark Marquis Nguyen Huu Canh’s Commemoration Day at Nguyen Huu Canh Temple (Tran Bien ward), a site recognized as part of the national intangible cultural heritage.

A new image of a modern, warm-hearted Dong Nai is being created by the intersection of a heroic past, a diversified cultural identity, and a sense of togetherness. Additionally, this provides a basis for developing well-rounded Dong Nai residents and awakening internal resources.

From the days of early frontier expansion and settlement

Looking back before the 16th century, Dong Nai was still an untamed, deserted region. Vietnamese settlers from the Thuan Quang region arrived in the early 17th century to  reclaim land and create communities, bringing life to the area. The Khmer King Chey Chettha II ruled this area at the time. By marrying Princess Ngoc Van, the Lord's second daughter, in 1620, he became the son-in-law of Lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen and named her the Queen of the Khmer Kingdom.

In 1679, Tran Thuong Xuyen led a group of Chinese people who sailed to our country to seek asylum. Lord Nguyen Phuc Tan granted them permission to settle and earn a livelihood in the South. When he and his group set foot on the Ban Lan land (an old name for the Bien Hoa-Dong Nai area, now the Tran Bien ward area, site of Tan Lan Communal House), they helped transform Pho Islet (also known as Hiep Hoa Islet or Nong Nai Trading Port) into the busiest commercial port in the South at the time.

In 1972, Bien Hoa province consisted of six districts: Duc Tu, Cong Thanh, Tan Uyen, Di An, Long Thanh, and Nhon Trach. In February 1976, Dong Nai province was formed by the merger of Bien Hoa province, Ba Ria, and Long Khanh. The name Dong Nai Province was kept unchanged from 1976 to April 30, 2026, despite several changes to administrative borders at district and commune levels.

Dr. Nguyen Van Quyet, Chairman of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association of Dong Nai City, said that 19 years after Tran Thuong Xuyen arrived to establish Nong Nai Trading Port, Commander Nguyen Huu Canh, under the order of Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu, traveled to the South in the spring of the Year of the Tiger (1698). He used the Dong Nai land to establish Gia Dinh Prefecture, consisting of two districts – Phuoc Long, where Tran Bien Garrison was constructed, and Tan Binh, where Phien Tran Garrison was constructed. The Ban Lan land and Nong Nai Trading Port were located in Phuoc Long district. Consequently, the Dong Nai River was called Phuoc Long Giang.

"In just a short period of time, Nguyen Huu Canh recruited more people to reclaim land, established administrative units, set tax standards, and created population and land registers, laying the foundation for the development of Dong Nai. From this point on, this land was officially placed on the map of the Dai Viet nation," shared Dr. Nguyen Van Quyet.

In 1700, Nguyen Huu Canh passed away, and General Truong Phuc Phan was appointed by Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu to serve as the Governor of Tran Bien Garrison. Tran Bien Garrison and Phuoc Long district, located east of the Saigon River, formed a vast region including former Dong Nai, former Binh Phuoc, former Binh Duong, and former Ba Ria–Vung Tau (now Dong Nai City and Ho Chi Minh City). In 1715, the Tran Bien Temple of Literature was built, affirming that this was not only a land of "skilled workers" but also a place that valued literacy, honoured studious spirit, and upheld traditional cultural values.

Tran Bien Hoa (1808-1832) or Bien Hoa province (1832-1861) had vast administrative boundaries, including the land of present-day Dong Nai City, former Ba Ria–Vung Tau, former Binh Duong, and a part of former Ho Chi Minh City (present-day Ho Chi Minh City). In 1876, Bien Hoa province was dissolved by the French colonialists and divided into three sub-regions, including Bien Hoa, Thu Dau Mot, and Ba Ria. In 1939, Bien Hoa province consisted of 5 districts, including Chau Thanh, Long Thanh, Xuan Loc, Tan Uyen, and Ba Ra Mountain.

Throughout nearly 330 years of formation and development, the land of Dong Nai has endured many difficulties, challenges, and historical upheavals. The challenges have forged the resilient and unified spirit of many generations of Dong Nai people, compelling them to constantly strive, struggle, and rise up. Generation after generation has  persistently contributed their intellect and effort to build and cultivate traditional cultural values, creating the unique identity of the Tran Bien - Dong Nai region today.

Imprints of the Southern open land

On July 1, 2025, Dong Nai, along with the rest of the country, implemented a two-tier local government model, merging Binh Phuoc province into Dong Nai province. The formation and development of the Dong Nai–Binh Phuoc region is a continuous historical process that clearly reflects the expansion of national territory, the organization of administrative management, and socio-economic development across different periods, while serving as an important practical basis for reorganizing development space in the current period.

Le Minh Tri, Politburo Member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Party Central Committee’s Internal Affairs Commission, along with Vu Hong Van, Party Central Committee Member, Provincial Party Secretary, and Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation (now City Party Secretary and Head of the City National Assembly Delegation), inquire after the health of Vietnamese Heroic Mother Ho Thi Vang on April 28, 2026. Photo: Cong Nghia

According to Tran Quang Toai, Chairman of the Dong Nai City Historical Sciences Association, Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc share common historical roots, having experienced numerous changes in administrative boundaries and names throughout history. In 1832, when Bien Hoa province was officially established, its territory already encompassed the lands of Binh Long and Phuoc Long, part of former Binh Phuoc province. Since General Nguyen Huu Canh was assigned to administer Tran Bien Garrison, the area has remained within a unified administrative and cultural space.

“During the resistance war against the American imperialism, the Saigon puppet administration separated Bien Hoa province to establish Binh Long and Phuoc Long provinces. However, in the course of the revolutionary struggle, these localities continued to maintain close ties under the joint leadership of the Central Bureau for Southern Vietnam, located in present-day Phu Ly commune, and the Southeast Regional Party Committee, based in present-day Tri An ward. This was one of the factors that fostered the close bond between Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc,” Toai said.

Beyond historical similarities, the two localities of Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc (formerly) also share many cultural and community commonalities. Ethnic groups such as the Choro, S’tieng, M’nong, Ma, and K’ho, along with many other residents, have lived intermingled, creating a rich cultural intersection in the Southeast region. This diversity has shaped the characteristic personality of the Dong Nai people: friendly, compassionate, dynamic, creative, civilized, and modern.

After being separated from Bien Hoa province, the predecessor of Binh Phuoc province consisted of two provinces - Binh Long and Phuoc Long. On January 30, 1971, the Central Bureau for Southern Vietnam decided to establish the Binh Phuoc sub-region. At the end of 1972, the Binh Phuoc sub-region was dissolved and Binh Phuoc province was officially established. On July 2, 1976, the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam issued a decision to establish Song Be province, consisting of Thu Dau Mot, Binh Phuoc, and 3 communes of Thu Duc district (belonging to Ho Chi Minh City). On January 1, 1997, Binh Phuoc province was re-established, consisting of 5 northern districts of Song Be province: Dong Phu, Binh Long, Loc Ninh, Phuoc Long, and Bu Dang. The provincial capital was located in Dong Xoai township (Dong Phu district). On May 1, 2003, the two districts of Chon Thanh and Bu Dop officially began operations. Binh Phuoc province has 11 districts, towns, and cities; 111 communes, wards, and townships. Since 1999, the provincial boundaries have been stable, though there have been many changes to administrative boundaries at the commune and district levels.

Also according to Master Tran Quang Toai, Dong Nai has long been considered "an open land," where people have a spirit of tolerance, harmony, and ease in integrating different cultures. From the time of the Pho Islet trading port until today, that tradition has been preserved and promoted. Notably, since April 30, 2026, Dong Nai has officially become the 7th city in the country. This is considered an important milestone, opening a new chapter for the locality's development in the context of deep and broad integration.

“If connected and exploited effectively, the rich cultural heritage values of the Northern and Southern Dong Nai regions will become unique cultural and tourism products. Beyond its aspirations for advancement and existing potential, Dong Nai City needs a mechanism suited to a new development model to create further opportunities for connectivity and robust future growth,” emphasized Toai.

A key economic growth pole in the South

Not only rich in historical tradition, Dong Nai today holds a strategically vital position in the Southeast region, serving as a crucial link between the Southern key economic zone, the Central Highlands, and the South Central Coast provinces. The city currently covers an area of over 12,700 square kilometers with a population of approximately 5 million people and 95 commune-level administrative units, among which Tran Bien ward serves as the political, administrative, economic, and socio-cultural center.

Dong Nai is currently one of Vietnam’s major industrial hubs, with 89 planned industrial zones. With a focus on industrial development policies, Dong Nai has attracted investment from 45 countries and territories, securing over 2,500 active domestic projects with a registered capital of approximately 602 trillion VND and over 2,200 active foreign direct investment projects with a registered capital of more than 45 billion USD. Dong Nai is one of the localities that contributes significantly to the national budget and Gross Domestic Product (GDP), affirming its position as an important growth pole in the Southern key economic zone.

Architect Khuong Van Muoi, former Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Architects, stated that Dong Nai possesses advantages in transport infrastructure that few other localities have, converging all five large-scale transport modes: road, rail, waterway, maritime, and air. Among these, Long Thanh International Airport is a strategic infrastructure project of national and international stature. Furthermore, a series of expressways – such as Ho Chi Minh City–Long Thanh–Dau Giay, Phan Thiet–Dau Giay, Bien Hoa–Vung Tau, Gia Nghia–Chon Thanh, and Ring Road 3 – have created and continue to develop a modern inter-regional connectivity network, opening up new development room for Dong Nai.

“Operating under a city model will create a strong impetus for Dong Nai in attracting investment, developing the economy, creating more jobs, and improving the quality of life for its citizens. This is the time for Dong Nai to concentrate all its resources, turning political determination into concrete actions to realize development goals and affirm its role as an important growth pole for the Southern region,” shared Khuong Van Muoi.

Awakening cultural resources for the future city

Entering a new phase of development, Dong Nai city is not only aiming to become an important industrial, commercial, and logistics hub but is also setting requirements to build a city rich in cultural identity while ensuring harmonious and sustainable development.

Artists and actors from the Dong Nai Art Theater perform for local residents in Dong Nai City. Photo: My Ny

Le Thi Ngoc Loan, Member of the City Party Committee and Director of the Dong Nai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “Dong Nai currently has 121 ranked heritage sites, including 6 special national heritage sites, 42 national heritage sites, and 73 provincial-level heritage sites, along with nearly 1,500 inventoried sites. Many sites, such as the Tran Bien Temple of Literature, the Temple and Tomb of Nguyen Huu Canh (Tran Bien ward), War Zone D (Tri An ward), the Command Base of the Liberation Army of South Vietnam (Loc Thanh commune), and Soc Bom Bo (Bom Bo commune), have become important cultural and historical symbols of the Dong Nai region in particular and the Southeast region in general.”

In recent years, Dong Nai City has paid greater attention to restoring and embellishing many heritage sites, linked to tourism activities and traditional education. In the 2020-2025 period alone, Dong Nai allocated over 161 billion VND for the restoration and embellishment of heritage sites. The system of cultural institutions is constantly being perfected, and facilities and equipment are being upgraded to better serve the cultural needs of the people. Currently, the entire city has 1,703 out of 1,775 villages, hamlets, and neighborhoods with cultural houses (reaching 95.9%) and 16 ethnic cultural houses.

Along with economic development, Dong Nai city aims to build and develop a civilized, modern, and happy city, placing people at the center, as both the subject, resource and goal of development; and taking cultural values, improved health, and the material and spiritual life of the people as the pillars of sustainable development.

In the context of Dong Nai joining the rest of the country in entering a new phase of development, the city is determined to build and develop a Dong Nai culture that is rich in identity and highly integrated, becoming a solid spiritual foundation, an important endogenous resource, and a driving force for rapid, sustainable development. At the same time, it aims to build well-rounded Dong Nai citizens, promoting characteristic qualities such as friendliness, compassion, civility, and modernity. Developing cultural industries linked to digital transformation, innovation, and international integration will contribute to enhancing the position, soft power, and cultural identity of Dong Nai in the new era.

After nearly 330 years of formation and development, from the land of ancient Tran Bien to the present-day Dong Nai, the locality has risen to become a dynamic urban area and an important growth pole for the Southern region. Its historical depth, diverse cultural identity, and spirit of solidarity and compassion serve as the foundation for Dong Nai to leverage its endogenous resources, building a modern, civilized, and sustainably developed city in the new era – the era of the nation’s rise.

By My Ny – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha