Dong Nai City has a great opportunity to make culture a new engine of economic growth. Rich in cultural heritage, the city is also benefiting from rapidly improving transport connectivity. At the same time, the upcoming operation of Long Thanh International Airport, together with major expressways such as Ho Chi Minh City–Long Thanh–Dau Giay, Bien Hoa–Vung Tau, Ben Luc–Long Thanh and Dau Giay–Phan Thiet, as well as the city's ring roads, is further strengthening regional connectivity. Together, these advantages are expected to attract increasing numbers of domestic and international visitors. The challenge now is to develop distinctive tourism products that encourage visitors to stay longer and return.
To realise this requirement, Dong Nai must convert its cultural assets into economic value. This means developing cultural resources into tourism products capable of establishing Dong Nai as a distinctive destination on Vietnam's tourism map. With more than 120 recognised historical and cultural sites, thousands of inventoried heritage sites, hundreds of annual festivals, numerous items of intangible cultural heritage, and many traditional craft villages, Dong Nai possesses abundant resources to create tourism products with a unique identity. However, the city needs to better connect its heritage sites, festivals and traditional craft villages to develop distinctive tourism routes tailored to different groups of domestic and international visitors. This reflects the essence of cultural industries, not merely preserving heritage, but making sustainable use of it to protect cultural values while creating livelihoods.
In recent years, Dong Nai has regularly hosted a wide range of festivals and is home to several well-known traditional craft villages in Southern Vietnam. However, few of these cultural assets have developed into recognized tourism brands. As a result, many visitors come to Dong Nai but leave after a short stay, with relatively few returning. Average tourist spending remains modest, at around VND500,000 per visitor, keeping tourism revenue relatively low. Addressing these challenges will be essential for developing cultural tourism and supporting the city's goal of achieving double-digit economic growth.
To strengthen its tourism appeal, Dong Nai should create favourable conditions for tour operators from both within and outside the city to invest in and develop tourism products linking festivals, historical sites, craft villages, local cuisine and One Commune One Product (OCOP) items into integrated visitor experiences. Equally important, every destination should tell a compelling story rooted in history and local culture. Longer stays and repeat visits would stimulate growth in accommodation, retail, food services and the night-time economy.
More importantly, once Long Thanh International Airport begins operations, millions of passengers are expected to pass through Dong Nai each year. The airport may bring visitors to the city, but only distinctive cultural experiences will encourage them to stay longer. Otherwise, Dong Nai risks becoming merely a gateway rather than a destination.
Developing cultural industries requires the concerted efforts of government agencies, businesses and other stakeholders. This calls for integrated planning and closer coordination among the tourism, trade, business and technology sectors. The city should adopt more favourable mechanisms to attract investment in tourist attractions, performing arts, festivals, museums, traditional craft villages and digital cultural products. At the same time, each locality should identify and promote its own distinctive strengths to avoid developing similar products.
For cultural industries to become a genuine engine of growth, Dong Nai must develop competitive, well-branded tourism products that reflect its unique identity. Only then can the city's cultural heritage be preserved while generating lasting value for future generations.
By K.Minh – Translated by M.Nguyet, Thu Ha
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