Dong Nai develops high-tech agriculture

From an early stage, Dong Nai succeeded in attracting numerous enterprises and large-scale farm owners to invest in high technology in agriculture. Farmers have also gained opportunities to access modern technologies and boldly apply them in production.

Nguyen Ngoc Hai, a farmer in Bao Vinh ward, introduces a high-economic-efficiency cantaloupe cultivation model in a net house.

The industrial city of Dong Nai is expected to continue attracting a new wave of investment in high-tech applications to develop a modern and sustainable agricultural sector for the future. Both businesses and farmers hope the newly established city will introduce breakthrough mechanisms and policies to create a truly favorable environment for investors.

Technology empowering farmers

According to farmers across Dong Nai, applying high technology is not only a story for large corporations or wealthy investors. High-tech agriculture can also come from practical innovations in the daily production activities of individual farming households.

Vi Thi Loi, a farmer in Nghia Trung Commune, has applied numerous technological solutions on her 9-hectare plantation growing rubber, coffee, cashew, and pepper. Her approach includes introducing high-quality new varieties to rejuvenate aging orchards, continuously learning and adopting advanced cultivation and pest-control techniques to meet export-market standards. Notably, her family recently invested hundreds of millions of VND in a solar power system to support both daily living and agricultural production.

“Previously, my family spent millions of VND every month on electricity for household and farming activities. Since installing the solar energy system, we have significantly reduced these expenses. In addition, applying scientific and technical innovations has helped reduce labor while still maintaining high productivity. Thanks to this, just the two of us can effectively manage and care for nearly ten hectares of farmland,” Loi shared.

Nguyen Ngoc Hai, an outstanding farmer in Bao Vinh Ward, was among the first in the locality to invest in greenhouse cantaloupe cultivation. His model has since been replicated by many other farmers. Thanks to numerous high-tech applications in greenhouse farming, the Bao Quang Cantaloupe  Cooperative Group has successfully cultivated many specialty cantaloupe varieties that are difficult to grow and require intensive care but offer high economic value. The cooperative has become a notable example in Dong Nai’s development of high-tech and organic-oriented agriculture during the 2021-2025 period.

Nguyen Ngoc Hai emphasized: “Our cantaloupe products have achieved a 3-star OCOP certification under the One Commune One Product Program, helping strengthen the local agricultural brand. This certification opens opportunities for our products to enter clean food stores and e-commerce platforms, ensuring more sustainable market access. In addition, we are developing other high-value fruits such as durian and pomelo. In particular, our farm has successfully trialed the ruby pomelo variety imported from Thailand. This unique pomelo, with its deep ruby-red flesh and rich flavor, is highly favored by the market and sold at premium prices.”

To access and utilize advanced technologies that are often too costly for individual households, farmers in many localities have joined forces to invest collectively. Tran Van Duc, head of the Chin Duc Durian Cooperative Group in Song Ray Commune, said members pooled their capital to invest in agricultural drones. The technology has delivered remarkable efficiency by reducing labor and spraying time while ensuring timely pest control, minimizing direct exposure to hazardous chemicals, and protecting workers’ health. Given these practical benefits, the cooperative has expanded its drone fleet and established a specialized agricultural service team supporting various crops in the locality.

To date, Dong Nai City has established 19 high-tech agricultural zones, providing a strong foundation for attracting further investment in modern and sustainable agricultural production.

Dong Nai is also among the leading localities in agricultural mechanization. Many enterprises, cooperatives, and farmers have pioneered innovative applications of advanced technologies in production and processing. Dong Nai City has now replicated 436 high-tech agricultural models, while 328 enterprises and 96 cooperatives are applying advanced technologies in production. During the 2020-2025 term, the value of high-tech agricultural products in the former Dong Nai Province was estimated at over VND38.4 trillion, accounting for nearly 51.3% of the total value of the province’s key agricultural products. Meanwhile, the former Binh Phuoc Province attracted around VND11.5 trillion in investment for high-tech, clean, organic, and livestock-processing agriculture. Dong Nai has also developed integrated models combining high-tech agriculture, clean and organic farming, and eco-tourism.

Creating an attractive investment environment

The achievements in high-tech agricultural development provide Dong Nai with significant advantages for future breakthroughs. Several large-scale projects, such as the 1,500-hectare high-tech livestock farming and agricultural processing complex recently launched in Thuan Loi Commune, are expected to create major advancements for Dong Nai’s livestock sector.

Expressing high expectations for investment opportunities to build a specialized export cultivation area in the new Dong Nai city, Lieu A Kieu, Director of Kelly Swangle International Co., Ltd. in Ho Chi Minh City, said: "Dong Nai becoming a city is very good news for the business community. The expectation of businesses is that the new Dong Nai city will have more specific policies to strongly develop infrastructure serving agriculture. As for Kelly Swangle International Co., Ltd., in 2026, we will continue to expand hundreds of hectares of bananas that meet the export growing area code in Dong Nai to ensure supply for the rapidly growing export market. Businesses want to invest in large-scale pre-processing and processing factories for export bananas with modern production lines right in the specialized banana cultivation area. At the same time, we hope that Dong Nai city will have more specific mechanisms and policies to support investors in improving rural infrastructure; and pay attention to investing in developing high-quality, skilled human resources so that businesses can feel secure in long-term investment in the locality.

In the coming period, Dong Nai aims to continue prioritizing research, technology transfer, and the application of scientific and technological advances in agricultural production. The city considers the research and transfer of scientific and technological applications in the production, preservation, and processing of agricultural products and food as a particularly important breakthrough to promote agricultural production and rural economic development.

Thanh Binh Cooperative in Bau Ham Commune pioneered a large-scale project to grow bananas for export with many good and innovative methods. This cooperative also has many improvements in applying science and technology to utilize discarded bananas after export to process banana flour and many other products, utilizing discarded banana trunks to make dried banana sheaths for export to European countries, North America, South Korea, etc.

Ly Minh Hung, Director of Thanh Binh Cooperative, noted that the cooperative successfully invested in the large-scale export banana project thanks to the commune and city authorities implementing many practical support policies for farmers and cooperatives. Currently, Dong Nai City continues to promote policies to encourage high-tech investment in agricultural production and processing. This is a huge driving force for farmers and cooperatives to continue promoting the application of high technology in actual production.

By Binh Nguyen-Translated by Mai Nga, Minho