Building Dong Nai's cultural identity in new development space

Deputy Secretary of the Dong Nai City Party Committee (CPC) Vo Tan Duc chaired a working session with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (DoCST) on September 18 to review the implementation of assigned tasks and discuss proposed solutions and plans to meet the city’s development requirements in the new situation.

Deputy Secretary of the CPC Vo Tan Duc chairs the working session with the DoCST. Photo: My Ny

The session was also attended by Member of the CPC’s Standing Board and Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Truong Son, along with representatives of municipal departments, boards, and sectors, as well as leaders of units under the DoCST.

Member of the CPC’s Standing Board and Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Truong Son speaks at the working session. Photo: My Ny

In the first nine months of 2026, the culture, sports, and tourism sector closely followed political tasks and effectively carried out its assigned duties. The Department advised on the successful organization of the 1st Dong Nai City Sports Festival, at which 373 sets of medals were awarded and 14 collectives and 26 individuals were commended and rewarded for outstanding achievements. The one-stop-shop division operated effectively, with 99.6% of dossiers processed on time or ahead of schedule through the city's information system for settling administrative procedures. In the tourism sector, Dong Nai welcomed more than 4.4 million visitors, fulfilling 76.8% of the annual plan.

Member of the CPC and Director of the DoCST Le Thi Ngoc Loan reports at the working session. Photo: My Ny

The sector also identified bottlenecks and limitations in each area. Specifically, the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage require significant investment, while the mobilization of social resources remains limited. Investment resources for grassroots sports facilities are not synchronized. At present, the mobilization of social resources for high-performance sports has been successful in only two disciplines: football and volleyball. Tourism infrastructure and technical facilities are also poorly coordinated.

Representatives of departments, boards, sectors, and units under the DoCST discussed the bottlenecks and coordinated efforts to develop solutions for effectively carrying out their duties in the coming period.

Member of the CPC and Deputy Head of the CPC’s Commission for Information, Education and Mass Mobilization Le Thi Thai speaks at the working session. Photo: My Ny

Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Truong Son requested that the DoCST review, report on, and evaluate the operations of its public service units; incorporate digital transformation-related content in the cultural sector into its reports; and advise the City Tourism Development Steering Committee. Regarding performing arts, he requested the department to study the organization of programs on an appropriate scale. In the sports sector, grassroots sports and high-performance sports need to be evaluated separately, with solutions proposed to improve operational efficiency.

Concluding the working session, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Vo Tan Duc acknowledged and highly appreciated the results recently achieved by the culture, sports, and tourism sector. He emphasized that, in the new phase, the sector needs to clearly define its position and role in the city's development process, with the aim of improving the people's material and spiritual lives.

An important task emphasized by Deputy Secretary of the CPC Vo Tan Duc was building Dong Nai's cultural identity in a new development space. The DoCST needs to study and define Dong Nai's value system and cultural identity based on the inheritance of traditions, the absorption of cultural quintessence, and international integration, thereby contributing to building dynamic, compassionate, and creative Dong Nai citizens.

The Deputy Secretary of the CPC requested the DoCST to develop an action plan, comprehensively review all tasks, programs, projects, and schemes across various sectors, and clearly identify bottlenecks and limitations to devise solutions for their removal. In particular, it is necessary to reassess the system of cultural and sports institutions following the implementation of the two-tier local government model, clearly determine the operational efficiency of each facility, and develop appropriate arrangement and investment plans to avoid scattered and superficial investment and the waste of public assets, ensuring that these institutions genuinely serve the people's recreational needs.

A representative of the leadership of the Department of Industry and Trade speaks at the working session. Photo: My Ny

Regarding tourism, the sector needs to take the lead and coordinate with departments, sectors, units, and businesses to develop tourism products and study the formation of groups and clusters of distinctive tourism products related to ecotourism, resorts, agriculture, and urban areas, as well as products serving experts and businesspeople. Simultaneously, the sector must develop a strategy to welcome visitors when Long Thanh International Airport officially begins operations and explore tourism routes and sites that can convert transit passengers into tourists who sightsee, stay, and spend money in Dong Nai.

In addition, the sector needs to study the development of cultural industries and the nighttime economy, building an ecosystem of cultural, recreational, and entertainment tourism suited to Dong Nai's potential. Product development requires a focused approach, with a number of locations selected for pilot implementation, gradually establishing programs and festivals bearing the Dong Nai brand, while creating conditions for businesses and citizens to participate in investment.

By My Ny – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha