DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026 opens

On the morning of October 31, the Dong Nai City Department of Science and Technology (DoST), in coordination with relevant units, officially opened the 2026 Week of Science and Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation, also known as DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026.

Ton Ngoc Hanh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairwoman of the City People's Council, visits the technology exhibition at DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026. Photo: Hai Quan.

Representing ministries and central agencies at the opening ceremony were Pham Duc Long, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology; Le Thu Ha, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Office; Truong Xuan Lam, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations; Tran Thi Quoc Hien, Director of the Department of Digital Economy and Digital Society under the Ministry of Science and Technology; Hoang Huu Hanh, Deputy Director of the National Digital Transformation Agency under the Ministry of Science and Technology; and Nguyen Thi Bich Lan, Director of the Institute of Innovation and Digital Transformation under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations.

Ton Ngoc Hanh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairwoman of the City People's Council, and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long attend the opening ceremony of DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026. Photo: Hai Quan.

Dong Nai City leaders attending the event included Ton Ngoc Hanh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairwoman of the City People's Council; Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City People's Committee; Le Truong Son, member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee; and Tran Trung Nhan, Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City Party Committee's Inspection Commission. Also in attendance were members of the City Party Committee, leaders and representatives of departments, agencies and local authorities, as well as experts, scientists, businesses, universities, colleges and research institutes from within and outside the city.

Ton Ngoc Hanh, Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairwoman of the City People's Council, visits a booth showcasing digital technology products at the event. Photo: Hai Quan.

Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City People's Committee, visits the DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026 exhibition. Photo: Hai Quan.

Delegates visit booths showcasing digital products from technology corporations and businesses at the event. Photo: Hai Quan.

The event is held under the theme “Digital Transformation and Innovation: From Policy to Tangible Value – Creating New Growth Drivers for Dong Nai City.” As a major series of events focusing on science and technology, innovation and digital transformation, DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026 is organized to celebrate National Innovation Day (October 1) and National Digital Transformation Day (October 10). It also aims to translate Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in the development of science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation into concrete action, in conjunction with local action plan for implementing the resolution across the city.

The program features several prominent activities, including a technology and innovation exhibition with 200 booths showcasing core technology solutions, applied technologies, innovative products, startup products and outstanding products under the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) program, as well as interactive areas offering hands-on technology experiences.

Alongside the exhibition, a series of high-level forums and specialized workshops will focus on strategic pillars such as Long Thanh Airport City, logistics, the digital economy, the data economy, the semiconductor industry and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as digital transformation in tourism branding.

Delegates perform the button-pressing ceremony to officially open DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026. Photo: Hai Quan.

Through high-level forums, specialized workshops, investment networking activities and technology exhibitions, DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026 aims to create a strategic, cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder dialogue platform. The event is expected to gradually position Dong Nai City as a gateway and a center for science and technology, innovation and digital transformation in the southeastern region, while expanding connections with international partners and resources.

Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City People's Committee, delivers the opening address. Photo: Hai Quan.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut emphasized that DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026 was a meaningful event marking National Innovation Day and National Digital Transformation Day. Its diverse program includes technology exhibitions, high-level forums, specialized workshops, investment networking activities, technology demonstrations and hands-on experiences with innovative products. The event also provides an opportunity for government agencies, experts, scientists, businesses and investors to meet, exchange ideas, establish connections and promote the practical application of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation in the city's development.

Chairman Nguyen Van Ut said Dong Nai City was determined to implement science and technology, innovation and digital transformation in a coordinated and substantive manner, closely linking these priorities to the development needs of individual industries, sectors and economic stakeholders. In that spirit, DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026 will focus on three key orientations. First, digital transformation must put residents and businesses at the center. Second, innovation must generate value and enhance competitiveness. Third, the government must make a decisive shift from a management-oriented mindset to one focused on enabling and facilitating development.

City leaders hope that technology businesses, corporations, investors and research organizations will bring more than just new products and technologies to showcase and demonstrate at DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026. They are also expected to work with the city to identify emerging challenges, propose solutions and participate in their practical implementation.

Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the City People's Committee, speaks at the opening ceremony of DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026. Photo: Hai Quan.

The leader of the City Party Committee stressed that the success of DIGIFEST should not be measured solely by the scale of the event, the number of exhibition booths, the quantity of technology products displayed or the number of delegates attending. More importantly, its success should be measured by the real-world challenges facing the city that are resolved, the technologies that are put into practical use, the cooperation projects established and the tangible value generated for residents, businesses and the city's economy.

Chairman Nguyen Van Ut expressed his confidence that, with attention and support from central authorities and the Ministry of Science and Technology, cooperation from ministries and sectors, organizations, businesses, experts and scientists, as well as the local government's determination to innovate and take decisive action and the active participation of the business community, DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026 would create valuable connections, inspire new initiatives and promote practical cooperation programs.

Pham Duc Long, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, speaks at the event. Photo: Hai Quan.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long emphasized that DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026 would help create a platform connecting government authorities, businesses, research institutes, universities and technology organizations to jointly seek solutions to the city's development challenges.

Dong Nai has an industrial foundation, an important connectivity location in the Southeastern region and significant development opportunities arising from the Long Thanh International Airport project. These advantages offer considerable room for growth. To turn this potential into tangible results, Dong Nai needs to improve productivity across its existing economy, develop new industries with higher added value and effectively capitalize on emerging development opportunities. The overarching message, he noted, is that science and technology, innovation and digital transformation must start with real development needs, generate practical value and make direct contributions to Dong Nai's economic growth.

Also speaking at the event, Le Thu Ha, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Office, praised Dong Nai City's initiative in organizing DIGIFEST. She said the program reflected the city's vision, innovative spirit and determination to make science and technology, innovation and digital transformation new drivers of growth.

Le Thu Ha, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Office, speaks at the event. Photo: Hai Quan.

“I am particularly impressed by the theme of DIGIFEST Dong Nai 2026: ‘Digital Transformation and Innovation: From Policy to Tangible Results – Creating New Growth Drivers for Dong Nai City.’ This theme sets out a highly practical requirement: digital transformation must go beyond the mere application of technology. It must bring about substantive changes, improve governance efficiency and create new momentum for development,” Le Thu Ha emphasized.

The National Assembly Office leader added that Dong Nai's official elevation to become the country's seventh city not only opens up a new development space but also sets higher requirements for governance quality, competitiveness and the ability to create new growth drivers based on science and technology, innovation and digital transformation across the city.

By Hai Quan - Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha