Driving force for development of Southern Key Economic Region

After nearly 40 years of advancing the Doi Moi (Renewal) process alongside the rest of the country, Dong Nai has undergone a dramatic transformation, from an agricultural province into one of the most dynamic industrial hubs in Vietnam.

Ecological urban area project in Long Thanh commune, Dong Nai province. Photo: Hoang Loc

With its strategic location, strong economic foundation, and a clear vision for advancement, Dong Nai today stands not only as a standout in investment attraction and infrastructure development, but also as a key growth engine for the Southern Key Economic Region.

Remarkable strides

Before the Doi Moi (Renewal) period, like the broader situation across the country, Dong Nai's economy faced numerous difficulties. In response, the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee continuously introduced policies and directives aimed at overcoming the challenges and identifying a suitable development path for the province. The 10th Conference of the Provincial Party Executive Committee (3rd term), held from January 6 to 11, 1986, proposed specific and practical measures to carry out the breakthrough task of reforming prices, wages, and currency.

Following the conference, on February 3, 1986, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee issued a Resolution outlining urgent measures to properly implement the Resolution of the 8th Conference of the Central Party Executive Committee (5th term), held in June 1985.

 The Resolution identified agriculture as the primary front and food production as the number one priority. It called for the consolidation and strengthening of socialist commerce, the expansion of commodity exchange, and the acceleration of industrial and commercial transformation. From these decisive policy directions, agriculture gradually stabilized. The economic structure began shifting toward industry and services, which would later take on a leading role.

Subsequently, on March 25, 1986, the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee issued a directive outlining urgent tasks to properly implement the price-wage-currency reforms in line with the spirit of the Resolution of the 8th Plenum of the 5th Party Central Committee. The directive introduced specific and immediate solutions, with a central focus on reorganizing production sectors and promoting industrial production, handicrafts, agriculture, and other industries. Step by step, Dong Nai evolved into a major production hub for numerous multinational corporations such as Cargill (USA), Tripod, Formosa (Taiwan, China), Nestle (Switzerland), Hyosung, Changshin (Korea), Ajinomoto, Lixil (Japan), and C.P., Amata (Thailand).

The Southern KER previously comprised eight provinces and cities. It was one of the three particularly important economic zones, acting as a driving force and growth engine for the entire country. Today, the region includes three localities: Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh.

Thanks to the correct leadership of the Provincial Party Committee and the determined actions of the government, Dong Nai is currently one of the leading localities nationwide in terms of the number and scale of industrial park development, with a high occupancy rate, attracting dozens of billions of USD in investment capital, and creating stable jobs for hundreds of thousands of workers. Within the industry, processing, manufacturing, and high-tech sectors increasingly account for a large proportion, contributing to making the province a leading industrial center nationwide.

The province has leveraged its land and climate advantages to develop specialized industrial crop areas, which have both economic value and promote processing industries. The livestock industry has continuously grown and become the "capital" for pig and chicken farming nationwide for many decades. In recent years, Dong Nai's agriculture has strongly shifted to applying high technology, clean and organic agriculture, associated with deep processing and export. Many specialized farming areas and large chain-linked fields have been formed, while key products have affirmed their brand in domestic and international markets. The achievements in agriculture have made the province one of the leading localities in the Southern region and the whole country in implementing the National Target Program for New-style Rural Development.

The social housing area in Tran Bien ward has just been completed and put into use in early 2025. Photo: Hoang Loc

Along with economic development, Dong Nai particularly focuses on investing in transportation infrastructure. Expressways have been and are being formed, making the province a trade hub for the entire region. The biggest highlight in terms of infrastructure is the Long Thanh International Airport Project, expected to be largely completed by the end of 2025, which will make Dong Nai the "sky gateway" of Vietnam, deeply connecting it internationally.

In addition, the system of seaports, inland ports, and large and small international border gates is also a special advantage for developing transportation services, becoming a logistics and export hub. This feature is also a competitive advantage in attracting foreign investment due to convenient connectivity with international markets, reduced logistics costs, and shortened goods transportation times.

The strong economic development has led to rapid urbanization in both breadth and depth. Wards are developing in a modern direction, with well-planned layouts. Social infrastructure is given attention for synchronous investment, contributing to improving the quality of life for residents. Per capita income continuously increases, reaching over 153 million VND (over 6,000 USD) by mid-2025, 1.7 times higher than in 2020. The poverty rate has sharply decreased, and social welfare is ensured.

Growth driver of the Southern Key Economic Region

With outstanding progress in economy, infrastructure, and quality of life for its people, Dong Nai has not only become a strongly developing locality but also made significant contributions to the overall development of the Southern Key Economic Region.

For many consecutive years, Dong Nai has ranked among the top 10 localities nationwide in terms of budget contribution. Its economic growth rate has been maintained at over 7.11% annually during the 2021–2025 period, with a target of achieving double-digit growth in 2025 alone. Export turnover reaches tens of billions of USD each year, and for 2025, the province aims to surpass the 32 billion USD mark. Following the merger of provinces and cities, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City have emerged as a powerful duo driving growth in the Southern KER.

With an open investment environment, improving infrastructure, and especially an expanded administrative boundary, Dong Nai continues to be an attractive destination for domestic and foreign investors.

At the start of the country's renewal period, Dong Nai's economic structure was dominated by underdeveloped and impoverished agriculture. In response, the Provincial Party Committee issued a series of resolutions and directives that clearly outlined a strategic direction. The industrial and construction sectors gradually gained momentum, came to dominate the economy, and helped transform the province into one of the country's leading localities in industrial development, investment attraction, and import-export. By 2030, the Provincial Party Committee aims for industry and construction to account for over 63% of the economic structure, agriculture-forestry-fishery around 7%, with the remainder comprising trade and services.

Currently, Dong Nai is not only the growth driver of the largest key economic region in the country but also plays the role of a gateway connecting the Southeast region with the Central Highlands and the Central Coast. Possessing all 5 types of transportation is an advantage for the province to easily connect domestically and internationally, reduce logistics costs, attract investment, develop industry-trade-services, and increase competitiveness.

National Assembly deputy Trinh Xuan An, Standing Member of the National Assembly’s Committee for National Defense and Security (15th tenure), remarked: Following the merger, the newly configured Dong Nai province brings together advantages in natural conditions, economic potential, and connectivity infrastructure. The expansion of development space and the integration of resources provide favorable conditions for the province to revise its master plan, expand industrial and urban areas, attract high-quality investment, and strengthen its role within the development network of the Southern KER.

Industrial production at Thibidi Joint Stock Company, Long Duc Industrial Park, Binh An Commune, Dong Nai Province. Photo: Hoang Loc

At the conference announcing the Dong Nai Provincial Planning for the 2021–2030 period, with a vision to 2050, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: Dong Nai holds a strategic position in terms of socio-economic development and national defense and security. The province possesses abundant human resources, a young population, and strong aspirations; it serves as a key transportation hub with all five modes of transport and is part of the Southern Key Economic Region. In addition, Dong Nai is proud of its rich cultural, historical, and revolutionary traditions, and its diverse natural advantages make it well-suited for green, sustainable, and inclusive development. The achievements to date provide a foundation for the province to consolidate and strengthen the trust of businesses and investors.

To truly become a growth engine for the Southern KER, the province must continue to mobilize and effectively utilize all legal resources to strengthen traditional growth drivers and create breakthroughs in new ones. It should increase investment in and development of human capital; enhance regional and international connectivity through transportation networks, production systems and value chains, and market linkages. The province must also leverage three strategic breakthroughs: infrastructure, science and technology, and human resources.

Aspiration to rise in the new era

Entering a new phase of development, Dong Nai has identified eight key tasks and three strategic breakthroughs. With a solid economic foundation, inherent potential and advantages, open investment policies, flexible governance mechanisms, and above all, a strong sense of determination and aspiration for advancement, Dong Nai is expected to continue making significant breakthroughs. The province aims to become a standout in industrial, service, urban, and commercial development, actively contributing to the broader development goals of both the region and the nation, helping the country move confidently into a new era.

At the fourth meeting of the Southeast Region Coordination Council, held in early August 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that Dong Nai now possesses new space and conditions for development. The province must adopt a long-term vision, pursue major projects, and train a workforce that matches its development ambitions. The immediate task is to review and update its planning to align with the administrative reorganization and socio-economic zoning orientations. The next priority is to effectively mobilize resources to realize the planning and take the lead in breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. At the same time, the province must focus on investing in transport routes that connect airports and seaports to leverage its advantages and achieve sustainable development goals thoroughly.

The issues raised by the head of the Government have been acknowledged, assessed, and incorporated into the Draft Political Report to be submitted to the first Dong Nai Provincial Party Congress for the 2025–2030 term. These include taking the development of science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, green transformation, the circular economy, and the knowledge economy as key drivers of growth, promoting talent attraction and the training of high-quality human resources, protecting and restoring the ecological environment and proactively adapting to climate change, while building Dong Nai into a green, prosperous, civilized, and modern province.

By Hoang Loc – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho