How can Dong Nai tourism achieve sustainable double-digit growth?

Politburo Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW, dated August 22, 2026, on developing Vietnam's tourism into a spearhead economic sector in the new era, sets out a clear requirement: tourism must become a new driver of growth, contributing to the country's goal of achieving double-digit economic growth. At the same time, the sector must shift decisively from a focus on quantity to greater quality, efficiency and value creation. Culture is identified as a core foundation, while identity and the quality of visitor experiences are seen as key competitive advantages. Science and technology, innovation and digital transformation are also expected to serve as important tools for driving a new phase of development.

For Dong Nai, this requirement comes at a time when the locality is pursuing ambitious growth targets. Its 2026 tourism development plan aims to welcome around 5.8 million visitors, up 11.5% year on year, and generate about VND4.5 trillion in tourism service revenue, up 15.3%. The plan also targets an average stay of two days and an average spending of VND1.5 million per visitor.

In the first quarter of 2026, Dong Nai welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors and earned over VND1.1 trillion in tourism revenue. Revenue from travel services reached VND121.6 billion, up 27.45% from the same period last year. The figures point to considerable room for further growth. The key question, however, is how to ensure that this growth is sustainable and generates greater value for the locality.

Beyond visitor numbers: increasing value per visitor

A view of Tri An Hydropower Plant, nestled between Ma Da Forest and Tri An Lake in the Dong Nai Nature and Culture Reserve, an area planned for development as a national tourist area. Photo: Quang Huy

In reality, Dong Nai boasts diverse tourism resources, but its products and services have yet to fully match that potential. Many destinations still lack services capable of encouraging visitors to stay overnight, while facilities and infrastructure remain uneven. Visitor spending is relatively modest, and linkages among destinations, travel companies, accommodation providers, transport operators, agriculture and commerce are not yet sufficiently strong. Some projects and infrastructure developments have also progressed slowly, while the quality of the tourism workforce, destination management capacity and digital transformation still need further improvement.

Major assets such as Tri An Lake, the Dong Nai River waterfront, the area around Long Thanh International Airport, the Dong Nai Nature and Culture Reserve, Cat Tien National Park and community-based tourism sites still need to be connected into products that are attractive, accessible and commercially viable. Simply increasing visitor numbers through short day trips, promotional programs, or stand-alone events is unlikely to deliver sustainable growth.

The key issue is therefore not simply how to attract more visitors, but how to ensure that each visitor generates greater value. A tourist who stays for two days and spends on accommodation, food, transport, entertainment, local specialties and cultural and agricultural experiences generates a much greater economic impact than someone taking a day trip.

Therefore, alongside visitor numbers, Dong Nai needs to pay greater attention to average length of stay, average spending, revenue per visitor, the rate of repeat visits, and the level of participation by local businesses and communities. Double-digit growth will be more meaningful when accompanied by an increase in value per visitor.

One journey, multiple experiences

A panoramic view of Son Tien Tourist City, featuring extensive green spaces and large-scale entertainment complexes.

Dong Nai needs to move away from developing individual destinations in isolation and instead create tourism clusters and routes that encourage visitors to stay longer. Three key product groups: ecotourism and resort tourism, cultural and spiritual tourism, and agricultural and rural tourism, need to be integrated with cuisine, sports, entertainment, shopping and the night-time economy.

A journey could begin in an urban setting, continue with cultural attractions, orchards, rivers, lakes and forests, and conclude with local cuisine and specialty shopping. When a single journey offers multiple experiences and services, visitors have more reasons to extend their stay and spend more. Meanwhile, a greater share of the economic value remains within the locality.

Product design should also be market-driven. Weekend visitors, families, MICE travelers, passengers passing through Long Thanh International Airport and international tourists have different needs. Each market segment requires appropriate experiences, approaches and service packages. A good tourism product is not simply one based on what a locality already has available. It must both capitalize on Dong Nai's resources and meet the actual needs of visitors.

Dong Nai has no shortage of stories to tell: the region's history, heritage, communities, traditional craft villages, cuisine, festivals and ecological spaces closely connected to residents' lives. What needs to change is how these assets are developed. Rather than merely presenting monuments or landscapes, tourism products need to incorporate carefully designed visitor experiences, storytellers, souvenirs, signature dishes and interactive activities.

When visitors can experience the destination, purchase local products and share stories about Dong Nai, they help spread its cultural values while generating additional livelihoods and economic benefits. Product development, however, must go hand in hand with preserving local identity and safeguarding community interests, avoiding short-term exploitation that could undermine the very resources on which a destination's appeal depends.

Long Thanh International Airport should not be viewed merely as a transport infrastructure project. It should also be regarded as Dong Nai's gateway to international tourism. The question that needs to be addressed now is: how can passengers passing through the airport be encouraged to visit and stay in Dong Nai?

Local authorities and businesses need to develop stopover packages, short tours, weekend trips, MICE offerings, sports activities, resort stays and green tourism experiences well in advance. Meanwhile, they need to develop digital information systems, destination maps, convenient booking platforms and ready-to-market tourism packages. The goal is to turn the flow of passengers passing through the gateway into a flow of visitors who stay, experience the destination and spend in Dong Nai.

Stronger linkages, more sustainable value

Visitors are drawn to fruit-laden rambai trees at Ut Tieu Fruit Garden in Binh Loc Ward. Photo: Ngoc Lien

Dong Nai's tourism sector cannot develop within administrative boundaries alone. It needs to strengthen links with Ho Chi Minh City and other localities in the region through specific products, clearly defined tourism routes and targeted markets. Within the city itself, tourism also needs stronger linkages with agriculture, OCOP products, commerce, transport, cultural industries and the night-time economy. When tourism generates revenue for multiple sectors and local stakeholders, its spillover effects can truly become a driver of economic growth.

Turning these ideas into reality requires the authorities to focus on their enabling role by removing bottlenecks related to planning, land and infrastructure, improving the investment environment, promoting tourism markets and supporting digital transformation. Businesses must take the lead in designing products, investing in services and attracting customers, while local communities need to participate in and benefit from the tourism value chain. Human resource development must also shift from simply providing vocational knowledge to equipping workers with practical skills, particularly in sales, destination storytelling, technology use and experience management.

Long Thanh International Airport. Photo: Pham Tung

Double-digit growth cannot be separated from digital transformation and green growth. Dong Nai needs to gradually develop a shared tourism database, track visitor behavior and spending patterns, digitize destinations, expand digital payments and tailor communications to individual market segments. At the same time, tourism development must go hand in hand with the protection of forests, lakes, rivers, landscapes and community cultural values. Rapid growth that depletes the very resources on which tourism depends cannot be sustainable.

Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW, therefore, poses a new challenge for Dong Nai's tourism sector: it is no longer enough to ask, “How many visitors can we attract?” The more important question is, “How much value does each visitor generate?” Answering that question will require more attractive products, the transformation of cultural assets into meaningful experiences, the positioning of Long Thanh as a tourism gateway, more substantive regional linkages and a stronger role for businesses in leading the market.

For Dong Nai, double-digit tourism growth should therefore not simply mean attracting more visitors. It must mean encouraging each visitor to stay longer, spend more and engage more deeply with the destination, while ensuring that a greater share of the value created remains with local businesses, communities and Dong Nai itself.

By N Binh, H. Dang – Translated by M.Nguyet, Minho