Dong Nai artists accompany the nation’s journey of development

Field trips across the country are giving artists and writers from Dong Nai new creative horizons, allowing them to draw inspiration from different regions and explore them through fresh, emotionally resonant perspectives.

Composer Cao Hong Son of the Music Section of the Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association performs his new composition at the Dong Nai Artists Accompany the Nation Creative Camp.

Each new literary and artistic work offers a vivid reflection of the profound changes taking place across the homeland and the country as Vietnam advances its development and integration while promoting its cultural values among the wider community.

Expanding creative horizons

In 2026, the Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association organized several creative camps focusing on themes closely connected to everyday life, providing artists and writers with more material to inspire new works. Among them was the 2026 Dong Nai Artists Accompany the Nation Creative Camp, held in Ninh Binh Province from July 10 to 15. The camp gave members from the association’s specialized sections opportunities to directly experience places rich in historical and cultural traditions and scenic beauty.

Dong Nai artists spent considerable time exploring Ninh Binh’s prominent historical and cultural sites, including the Hoa Lu ancient capital, the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, and Bai Dinh Pagoda, as well as other distinctive cultural destinations. They also held professional exchanges with the Ninh Binh Literature and Arts Association, helping strengthen ties between artists from the two localities.

Following the trip, composer Do Diep Hoai Anh of the association’s Music Section presented a new song, An Artist’s Footsteps, with stirring melodies filled with emotion: “Artists join hands with the nation/United in building the future/Whether beneath Ninh Binh’s sun or the afternoon winds of the Southeast/We remain devoted to the descendants of the Dragon and Fairy.” Speaking about the song, Hoai Anh said: “Through this song, I want to convey the message that wherever they may be, an artist’s mission is always closely linked to the destiny of the nation. Every step we take and every work we create is a way of expressing gratitude for life, contributing to the country’s development, and preserving its sacred cultural and historical values.”

Poet Le Sy Tung of the Literature Section drew on a similar emotional vein, discovering the simple beauty of the homeland through a collection of poems including There Is a Homeland, Crossing the Village Fields, Dream of the Rice Fields, and Back to Hoa Lu. In There Is a Homeland, he sketches a peaceful rural landscape: “At dusk across the countryside fields/Hidden in the fragrance of rice/Silk-like clouds stretch across the evening sky/Crystal-clear with love/Father draws water from the dike/Mother bends beneath her small shoulder pole/The scent of fresh mud mingles with grass/Weaving purple flecks of wildflowers into the dusk.”

Author Hong Nhan of the Literature Section has also produced numerous works inspired by places she has visited, including The Folds of Hoa Lu, Words of Love at the Threshold, Moss in the Ancient Capital of Hoa Lu, The Restless City, and Back to Ninh Binh, Your Homeland. In The Restless City, she reflects on the country’s transformation through familiar and intimate images: “The nation grows/alluvial hands remain restless/the city’s heartbeat/remains unchanged/like the heartbeat of our homeland.”

For photographers, field trips have opened up opportunities to discover new perspectives and approaches. Photographer Nguyen An, who has devoted much of his work to documenting Dong Nai City, continues to explore new ways of expressing his artistic vision. Together with fellow photographers, he has traveled to numerous provinces and cities across the country, capturing fleeting moments with strong artistic value. According to Nguyen An, the combination of the experience of established artists and the creative energy of younger generations is producing photographic works with increasingly diverse subjects and styles. “Every work represents a particular perspective and a distinct way of experiencing people, life, and the changes taking place in our homeland and country every day,” he said.

Bringing literary and artistic works to the public

Pham Hien, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association, said this year’s creative camp, themed Dong Nai Artists Accompany the Nation, was broad in scope and significant in meaning. Members of the association’s specialized sections participating in the camp directed their cameras, pens, and musical instruments not only toward their beloved Dong Nai homeland but also toward other regions across the country. “This was an opportunity for Dong Nai artists to directly observe and experience the lives, people, and cultural values of each place,” Pham Hien said. “Those real-life experiences provided each artist with additional material to transform into works carrying their own style and creative imprint, helping record the changes taking place across the homeland and the country through the language of literature and the arts,” he added.

“We hope that after each field trip, Dong Nai artists will continue creating new works and submit them to the association. High-quality works will be selected, introduced, and promoted through the association’s website, Dong Nai Arts Magazine, and digital platforms, helping spread the cultural identity and values of the people of Dong Nai in particular and Vietnam in general to the public.”

Pham Hien, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association

The organizing board of the 2026 Dong Nai Artists Accompany the Nation Creative Camp received 85 works in literature, including poetry, short stories, and essays, as well as music, photography, fine arts, and short plays. Many of the works reflected considerable creative and intellectual investment, focusing on the natural beauty, heritage, history, and people of Ninh Binh while also expressing love for the homeland and country, as well as artists’ sense of responsibility toward contemporary life.

To ensure that the creative “fruits” produced at the camp reach audiences beyond the event itself, the Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association has been stepping up efforts to promote and introduce the works to the public. At the same time, the association continues to encourage artists to embrace technology and digital transformation in the presentation and dissemination of their work. These efforts are expected to make cultural, literary, and artistic values more accessible to the public, while strengthening the position and enduring vitality of Dong Nai’s artistic community during a period of national integration and development.

By Cam Thanh – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho