"Awakening" potential for cultural industry development in Dong Nai

Cultural industry (CI) is identified as one of the priority development areas in the new period in Dong Nai. With existing potential from performing arts, fine arts, photography to cultural tourism..., Dong Nai is gradually building a long-term strategy to effectively exploit its potential, enhance competitiveness, and create an impetus for economic development.

S'tieng people at the Praying for Well-being Festival in Tan Hung commune, Dong Nai province. Photo: Van Doan

Prioritizing the development of "key" cultural products

Dong Nai is facing a golden opportunity to enhance its position, promote its creative role, connect, and develop culture in the Southeast region. Prioritizing the development of CI sectors is not only a strategic choice but also a way for Dong Nai to preserve and promote heritage values.

Provincial Party Committee member, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thi Ngoc Loan said: After the merger, the sector clearly defined that culture is not only a spiritual foundation but also an endogenous strength, a direct resource promoting socio-economic development in the new era. Currently, the sector is closely following the Party's orientation set out in Resolution of the 13th National Congress, which is to develop comprehensive human beings and build an advanced culture imbued with national identity.

"Dong Nai will prioritize the development of some key cultural products with the province's potential and advantages, such as performing arts, fine arts, photography, cultural tourism, gradually enhancing the competitiveness of CI sectors. Building a development strategy for CI sectors with the province's advantages, suitable for the development requirements in the new era," Le Thi Ngoc Loan shared.

Reality shows that when properly organized, Dong Nai's cultural products not only serve spiritual life but also generate income, jobs, and local brands. Among them, cultural tourism is considered one of the promising directions. With a rich system of historical relics such as: D Zone, Cat Tien National Park, Bu Gia Map National Park; special national relics: Ta Thiet Base, Hang Gon Megalithic Tomb... along with many unique traditional festivals, Dong Nai has favorable conditions to develop tourism tours associated with experiences and traditional education.

In parallel with that, Dong Nai has been investing in performing arts such as Cai Luong (Vietnamese Reformed Theater), Don Ca Tai Tu (Southern Amateur Music), and photography - fields that attract young people. In particular, the Dong Nai Art Theater has recently launched many plays, Cai Luong excerpts, and music and dance programs combining modern sound and lighting with meticulously invested LED screens, broadcast online and live, serving the public inside and outside the province. In addition, photography attracts a large number of "young photographers" to participate, learn, and connect. Not only stopping at artistic works, photography also becomes a "material" to promote the image of Dong Nai's land and people to domestic and international friends.

Having a specific strategy...

To "awaken" the advantages of developing Dong Nai's CI sectors, in addition to focusing on digital transformation, investing in the development of synchronous and modern technological infrastructure to ensure connection and synchronous integration with the national database system, the cultural sector also focuses on human resources in the CI field.

Rector of Dong Nai Junior College of Culture and Arts Phung Ngoc Long said: Currently, the school is training 4 majors: traditional music, Western music, dance, and vocal music. The school pays special attention to traditional music, with many preferential policies for students, especially for children from ethnic minority regions, to attract more students. Most students graduating find stable employment at cultural institutions, or continue their studies to advance their qualifications and expertise at colleges and universities.

Speaking about the development of Dong Nai's cultural industry, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Tien, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, highly praised the province's efforts in organizing numerous large-scale art exhibitions recently, such as: the Bien Hoa - Dong Nai Traditional Pottery Festival, and the Dong Nai Province Hot Air Balloon Festival in 2025. He believes that through these activities, the image and unique cultural stories of Dong Nai in general, and Bien Hoa pottery in particular, have been widely promoted to the public.

"Bien Hoa pottery is not only a precious traditional cultural heritage, but also an important resource for promoting the development of the cultural industry. If there is a harmonious combination of traditional elements and innovation in design and shaping, pottery products will have high artistic value, great applicability, and enhanced competitiveness in domestic and international markets," said Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Tien.

An important direction in the development of Dong Nai's cultural industry is to strengthen international cooperation, expand exchanges, and cultural interactions with countries that have traditional relations and potential for cooperation, such as: South Korea, Japan, and ASEAN countries. This creates opportunities for Dong Nai's cultural products to access international markets, learn modern development models, and enhance competitiveness.

"Awakening" Dong Nai's cultural values and transforming them into cultural industry products not only helps economic development but also strengthens identity and enhances the spiritual life of the people. This is not just a development strategy, but also a journey of rediscovering and affirming Dong Nai's identity within the cultural flow of the entire country and region.

By Ly Na/Translated by M.N-H.T