Building Dong Nai ceramic heritage trail

From building collections of ancient ceramics and traditional craft experience spaces to organizing art and culinary programs, Dong Nai is working to develop a ceramic heritage trail.

The heritage trail is expected to become a distinctive cultural tourism product, helping promote Dong Nai's traditional ceramic brand and introduce domestic and international visitors to the unique values of Dong Nai, a land with nearly 330 years of formation and development.

Students explore the Bien Hoa Ceramic Destination – heritage trail at the Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts.

Bien Hoa Ceramic Destination – heritage trail

Bien Hoa ceramics once enjoyed a golden age, when the waterways and wharves were bustling with trade and ceramic products were widely used in most construction projects across the southeastern region. Despite many ups and downs, the craft has endured, producing ceramics of high artistic and technical value while remaining an important part of the cultural and spiritual life of generations of local people. However, bringing these values closer to the public requires more than preservation. It also calls for engaging ways to showcase the heritage, hands-on experiences and distinctive products that can attract visitors.

Against this backdrop, relevant agencies are studying plans to develop a Dong Nai ceramic heritage trail by upgrading the Bien Hoa ceramic destination – heritage trail, which was launched at the Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts in 2025. The destination features collections of ancient Dong Nai ceramics, traditional ceramic kilns, images of ancient ceramic craft villages, and contemporary ceramic works.

Dr. Truong Duc Cuong, Rector of the Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts, said the Bien Hoa ceramic destination – heritage trail provides a foundation for the college to work with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (DoCST) to further develop it into a distinctive cultural tourism product for Dong Nai. The upgraded trail will offer a broader range of activities, connecting exhibitions with traditional craft experiences, art performances and culinary experiences.

The Dong Nai ceramic heritage trail is envisioned around four key highlights. Visitors will receive a warm welcome reflecting local hospitality; enjoy traditional art performances; learn about and take part in ceramic workshops; explore unique works by the college's lecturers and students; leave messages in a guestbook; sample traditional cuisine; and explore the heritage trail.

“What sets the Dong Nai ceramic heritage trail apart is not only the way visitors are welcomed and activities are organized, but also how the heritage is presented. Dong Nai is home to many ethnic communities living side by side, so local culture should be reflected in the way people interact with visitors, as well as in artworks and traditional cuisine. Ceramic products, local dishes and traditional dances, among other cultural elements, can help promote the image of Dong Nai as a culturally diverse, welcoming and distinctive destination,” Cuong said.

Bien Hoa ceramics have a long history and are found at numerous historical and cultural relic sites, communal houses, pagodas and temples both within and beyond the city. The Dong Nai ceramic heritage trail is built to connect the values of ancient and contemporary ceramics with hands-on craft experiences, art and culinary experiences. This approach links heritage with cultural tourism while contributing to the development of high-quality cultural industry products.

Connecting heritage with tourism experiences

According to Dr. Truong Duc Cuong, once the Dong Nai ceramic heritage trail becomes operational, the college will focus on developing a team of bilingual tour guides to meet the needs of both domestic and international visitors. Interpretation materials will be carefully prepared to ensure an accurate presentation of the history, artistic value and ceramic-making process, while also conveying distinctive cultural stories from Dong Nai.

A pilot program is expected to be jointly organized by the Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts and the DoCST and launched in late September 2026. Relevant agencies, tourism businesses and travel companies will take part in evaluating the program and providing feedback for further improvement. Once Long Thanh International Airport officially begins operations, the product is expected to become a cultural attraction for domestic and international tour groups.

The development of the Dong Nai ceramic heritage trail is in line with the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Vietnam's Cultural Industries through 2030, with a vision to 2045, in Dong Nai City. Under the strategy, the city aims to develop cultural industries in a professional and modern manner while preserving and promoting local cultural values and identity. It also seeks to gradually create a favorable environment for creativity, production and business activities in the cultural and entertainment sectors. The cultural industries are expected to make an increasingly positive contribution to the city's socio-economic development while helping promote Dong Nai's image both regionally and nationwide.

Prof. Dr. and People's Teacher Nguyen Xuan Tien, former Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, said Bien Hoa ceramics are gradually recovering and gaining wider recognition, helping reaffirm the cultural value of Dong Nai. In recent years, Dong Nai has successfully organized a number of ceramic-related events, including ceramic festivals and large-scale ceramic exhibitions at the Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts. These events have also encouraged Dong Nai to continue training students in ceramic making, attract more young people to the traditional craft, and develop new products such as the heritage trail, contributing to the growth of the local cultural industries.

Building on the Bien Hoa ceramic destination – heritage trail developed by the Dong Nai College of Decorative Arts, with coordination among authorities, relevant agencies and tourism businesses, the product is expected to help promote the Bien Hoa ceramic brand, preserve Dong Nai's cultural and artistic heritage, and add a new highlight to visitors' exploration journey of a land with nearly 330 years of formation and development.

By C.Thanh – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha