Dong Nai’s foreign affairs: expanding integration, steady toward the future

Foreign affairs have made significant contributions to the national revolutionary cause, from the struggle for national liberation and reunification to the ongoing process of renewal and international integration.

Thai Bao, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Provincial Party Committee’s Organisation Commission, and Nguyen Thi Hoang, Member of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Committee, present an investment certificate to an FDI enterprise in early 2025.  Photo: Ngoc Lien

The 13th National Party Congress outlined the mission of building a comprehensive and modern diplomatic framework based on three pillars: Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy. This approach serves the demands of the new era by helping maintain a peaceful environment, attracting resources, and enhancing national prestige on the global stage. In Dong Nai, foreign affairs have always been a key priority, yielding notable results and making significant contributions to the province’s development.

Strengthening foreign affairs and international integration

In recent years, Dong Nai has intensified its efforts in foreign affairs and international integration. The province continues to expand its partnerships with domestic and international localities, closely linking these ties with investment promotion and image branding. Both State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy are implemented comprehensively and effectively. Various communication, promotion, and cultural exchange programs have been successfully organized with partner localities abroad, thereby strengthening mutual understanding, fostering friendship, and promoting development cooperation.

On August 18, 2025, the family of Tho Thoai, a member of the Cho Ro ethnic minority living in Xuan Que commune, happily moved into a new house. This undertaking marks a new chapter in improving his family’s economic condition and stability. The house was part of the “Hyosung House of Hope” Project, jointly implemented by the Dong Nai Union of Friendship Organizations, Hyosung Dong Nai Co., Ltd. (based in Nhon Trach), the Provincial Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, and coach Park Hang-seo. The project was completed with a total cost of over VND 200 million, including VND 120 million in sponsorship from Hyosung Vina Chemicals.

During the Friendship Exchange Programme, jointly organized by the Dong Nai Union of Friendship Organizations, the Vietnam–Korea Friendship Association of Dong Nai, and Hyosung Vina Chemicals to mark the house handover and the 80th anniversaries of Vietnam’s National Day (September 2) and Korea’s National Day (August 15), the foreign-invested enterprise also presented a symbolic donation of 700 million VND to Dong Nai to support social welfare activities.

This kind of support reflects the tangible success of people-to-people diplomacy in Dong Nai. Guided by the Party and provincial strategies, the Dong Nai Union of Friendship Organizations has deepened engagement with international NGOs, foreign-invested enterprises (FDIs), and foreign associations. These connections have helped expand international relations and mobilize global resources for local welfare projects.

The province also focuses on expanding cooperation with international partners, localities, and territories worldwide. This effort maximizes external resources for economic growth. In the first eight months of 2025, Dong Nai sent 56 delegations abroad, including 10 led by provincial leaders, and hosted 99 foreign delegations visiting the province.

Dong Nai continues to take a proactive and active approach to international integration across a wide range of fields, including economy, society, investment, environment, science and technology, education and training, culture, and tourism. At the same time, the province is intensifying its efforts to attract foreign investment as a key driver of economic growth.

According to Dong Nai's statistics, from the beginning of 2025 to August 20, the province has attracted over USD 2 billion in FDI, with 121 new projects totaling a registered capital of USD 922.92 million and 121 projects with additional capital of over USD 1.1 billion. The province consistently follows a selective investment attraction policy, prioritizing environmentally friendly projects that apply advanced technologies and use minimal labor, aiming for a green and sustainable economy.

Border diplomacy has also recorded positive results. Dong Nai shares a 258.939-kilometer border with Cambodia’s Mondulkiri, Kratie, and Tbong Khmum provinces. 

According to the Provincial Border Guard Command, the unit has consistently focused on strengthening cooperation with Cambodian border forces and providing effective advice on friendly border exchanges and defense diplomacy. These efforts contribute to building a peaceful, friendly, and cooperative border region.

Vietnamese diplomacy today stands as a key pillar in maintaining a peaceful environment, attracting resources, and elevating the nation’s prestige on the international stage. In this role, the Department of Foreign Affairs remains proactive in advising and carrying out diplomatic activities, strengthening international cooperation, fostering friendship, and effectively managing a peaceful and amicable border, contributing to the province’s socio-economic and cultural development and its process of global integration.

Huynh Thi Be Nam, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs

Leveraging potential and strengths

Vo Tan Duc, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, emphasized that for Dong Nai, international integration is not only an objective necessity but also a key driver of sustainable development and competitiveness.

The province continues to focus on developing a cadre of capable leaders and managers with global mindsets and the adaptability to navigate complex international dynamics.

After administrative boundary adjustments and expansions, Dong Nai has gained advantages in land area and population, solidifying its status as a major industrial hub in the southeastern region. It also shares a long border with Cambodia and is home to the Hoa Lu Border Gate Economic Zone, a strategic springboard for cross-border trade, services, and investment. Dong Nai boasts a multimodal transportation network and key national infrastructure projects, including Long Thanh International Airport, seaports, expressways, and inter-regional roads. Once completed, these projects will transform Dong Nai into a modern logistics hub of national and international significance, playing a crucial role in the global supply chain. These strategic advantages also pose higher demands on the province’s foreign affairs work.

On August 6, 2025, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Le Truong Son signed Plan No. 39/KH-UBND to implement the Government’s Resolution No. 153/NQ-CP and the Provincial Party Committee’s Plan No. 111-KH/TU, in line with the Politburo Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW on international integration in the new context. This plan aims to build and promote Dong Nai’s image and position on the global stage while strengthening the three pillars of diplomacy: Party, State, and people-to-people relations with foreign localities and partners.

Accordingly, the provincial government has defined foreign affairs and international integration as regular and essential tasks, requiring steadfast political orientation, enhanced national defense and security, and proactive, comprehensive, deep, and effective international integration. These efforts are expected to fully tap into Dong Nai’s potential and strengths, laying the groundwork for rapid and sustainable development.

The plan also identifies key tasks for upcoming integration efforts: strengthening Party leadership; renewing thinking, awareness, and actions regarding global integration in the new context; enhancing international economic integration to build an independent, self-reliant, and resilient economy; restructuring the economy; reforming the growth model; accelerating digital transformation; and expanding comprehensive, effective political and defense-security integration. These steps aim to safeguard national peace and stability, support development, and elevate Vietnam’s international influence from an early stage.

By Ho Thao - Translated by Thuc Oanh, Minho