Honoring Dong Nai’s cultural values

With just half a month to go, the Dong Nai City Culture – Great Unity Week 2026 will take place from November 18 to 24, bringing together the distinctive cultural identities of communities across the city in a vibrant setting.

Through a wide range of activities, the event aims to celebrate Dong Nai’s cultural values, foster local pride, strengthen national solidarity, and raise awareness of preserving cultural identity while building a civilized, modern city.

Bringing cultural heritage closer to the public

In early November 2026, rehearsals at the Dong Nai City Don Ca Tai Tu (southern amateur traditional music) Club are more intensive and livelier than ever. Artisans and vocalists are diligently rehearsing ensemble pieces and refining their performances for the Dong Nai City Culture – Great Unity Week 2026.

Members of the Dong Nai City Don Ca Tai Tu Club rehearse in the “Bien Hoa Pottery Destination Journey” space at Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts.

Folk Artisan Pham Lo, Head of the Dong Nai City Don Ca Tai Tu Club, said that, in addition to performing at Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts as part of the Bien Hoa Pottery Destination Journey, the club plans to take part in cultural exchanges and performances in Binh Phuoc Ward. Its selected repertoire celebrates the homeland, country, people, and transformation of Dong Nai, with pieces including “Heritage of the Southern Land,” “Dong Nai – A New Homeland,” “Come to My Homeland,” and “Motherland.”

“Our greatest aspiration is to introduce the art of Southern Don Ca Tai Tu to the land of Dong Nai, promoting and sharing this art form, which UNESCO has inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Performing for the public and visitors is both a joy and a responsibility for those devoted to this traditional art form, as we join hands to preserve cultural identity in Dong Nai,” said Pham Lo.

Alongside the folk artisans, artists and performers from the Dong Nai Art Theater are actively rehearsing for the week’s activities. Notably, artists will showcase the ethnic costumes of the Dong Nai region along the pottery heritage trail at Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts, creating a distinctive highlight that connects the performing arts with the space dedicated to showcasing the traditional pottery craft. The theater will also livestream on Facebook at 8 p.m. on November 19, 20, 22, and 23, bringing Dong Nai’s image to a wider audience through digital platforms.

According to People’s Artist Giang Manh Ha, Chairman of the Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association, the association is organizing exhibitions and publication displays alongside exchanges and panel discussions with authors, introductions to new works, and opportunities for writers and artists to engage with the public, young people, and children. These activities help bring literature and art closer to everyday life, honor traditional cultural values, and promote and share new and outstanding works by local writers and artists with the community.

Connecting communities and promoting Dong Nai’s image

The enthusiastic response to the Dong Nai City Culture – Great Unity Week 2026 extends beyond arts institutions to every hamlet and quarter across all 95 communes and wards. In residential areas, quarter management committees have stepped up public outreach and organized environmental cleanup campaigns. Activities include collecting waste, clearing drainage channels, sprucing up village roads and alleyways, tending greenery and flower-lined streets, and displaying national flags. Communities are also encouraged to adopt civilized practices in weddings, funerals, and festivals, maintain local landscapes, build safe living environments, and prevent social vices.

In Bom Bo Commune, activities during the cultural week are organized under the theme “The Rhythmic Sound of Pestles Echoes On– Stepping Steadily into the Future,” with the Bom Bo Hamlet National Historical Relic Site as the focal point. The site is expected to become a cultural destination with a distinctive identity, where the traditional values of various ethnic groups come to life through hands-on experiences, cultural exchanges, and artistic performances. In particular, combining cultural activities with the promotion of local products creates opportunities to build connections and expand markets, while helping visitors better understand the lives, customs, and identities of ethnic minority groups in Bom Bo.

Le Thi Ngoc Loan, Member of the Dong Nai City Party Committee and Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said the Dong Nai City Culture – Great Unity Week 2026 provides an opportunity for the locality to present a comprehensive and vivid picture of the unique cultural values shaped over nearly 330 years of Dong Nai’s establishment and development. By showcasing tangible and intangible cultural heritage, traditional craft villages, Bien Hoa pottery art, ethnic cultural identities, local culinary specialties, and signature tourism offerings, the event helps promote the image of a dynamic, hospitable, culturally rich, and integrated Dong Nai.

Cultural promotion at the event goes beyond individual performances, exhibitions, or events held on specific occasions; it must establish lasting connections among heritage, artisans, tourism businesses, production facilities, and local communities. When traditional values are presented through engaging experiential activities combined with local cuisine, craft villages, products under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program, and ecotourism, residents gain more opportunities to safeguard their heritage and participate directly in the economic value chain generated by culture and tourism.

Alongside its flagship programs, the Dong Nai City Culture – Great Unity Week 2026 features a wide range of cultural, artistic, and sporting activities, as well as a film week held in industrial parks, schools, educational institutions, and armed forces units, as well as for Youth Union members and young people. These programs broaden community engagement, enabling large numbers of cadres and residents to participate and come together in this national celebration.

From preparations by artisans and performers to concrete initiatives across quarters, units, and localities, the Dong Nai City Culture – Great Unity Week 2026 is building broad community connections. Its activities help gradually shape Dong Nai’s image as both a dynamic industrial hub and a destination offering cultural depth and experiential activities, where residents create and safeguard their cultural heritage while directly benefiting from development achievements.

By My Ny – Translated by Minh Hong, Thu Ha