Developing culture on par with the economic growth

As it enters the 2025–2030 term, Dong Nai Province has identified cultural development as being on par with economic growth, viewing it as one of the key solutions to building well-rounded, friendly, and compassionate citizens of Dong Nai.

Artists from the Dong Nai Center for Culture and Cinema perform the traditional vong co piece “Tieng chay tren soc Bom Bo” (the sound of rice-pounding pestle in Bom Bo Hamlet) for local audiences. Photo: My Ny

By placing people at the center of every policy, Dong Nai has implemented various concrete programs, along with planning to ensure that culture serves both as a goal and a driving force for integration, industrialization, and modernization.

Strong development of cultural endeavors

People’s Artist Giang Manh Ha, Vice President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association and President of the Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association, stated that the Resolution of the 1st Provincial Party Congress (2025–2030 term) clearly affirms culture as one of the pillars of development, on equal footing with the economy. In that spirit, local artists are striving to create works of high ideological and artistic value that vividly reflect the life, people, and spirit of Dong Nai in this new era.

Ha shared: “Dong Nai is entering a vigorous phase of development, with vast potential and opportunities. Ensuring that cultural development keeps pace with economic growth requires artists to constantly innovate, explore, and create reality-based works that express the aspirations and identity of Dong Nai. Literature and the arts should return to the grassroots level, spreading throughout communities while connecting with new provincial symbols such as Long Thanh International Airport.”

Truong Vinh Hiep, Vice Chairman of Bien Hoa Ward People’s Committee, said that Bien Hoa Ward is home to a large number of workers who live and work there. Therefore, investment in cultural development has been a significant focus of the local administration. Creating community spaces and wholesome recreational areas not only strengthens bonds and solidarity among residents and workers but also contributes to building a safe, friendly, and civilized living environment.

“To effectively implement the proposed plans, the ward is conducting a comprehensive review of the local system of cultural houses and community cultural–sports–learning centers, while also acknowledging the deterioration and operational challenges facing these cultural and sports facilities. This serves as the basis for the ward to propose investment policies, repairs, and upgrades, as well as to encourage individuals, businesses, and the community to join hands in investing and enhancing the effectiveness of these public service facilities,” Hiep said.

According to Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Deputy Secretary of the Phu Rieng Commune Party Committee, for culture to truly serve as the spiritual foundation of society, both a goal and a driving force for development, investment in this sector must be clearly guided and aligned with the specific characteristics of each locality. Each commune and ward should plan appropriate cultural spaces that promote their unique strengths while contributing to the diversity and shared values of Dong Nai’s cultural identity.

Lan Anh added: “Alongside economic growth, localities should pay greater attention to preserving and reviving traditional cultural values, especially those of ethnic minority communities in the province. This is not only a way to maintain identity but also an important lever to promote cultural values and shape Dong Nai’s distinctive and vibrant cultural character.”

Investing in cultural development commensurate with its potentials

Nguyen Ngoc Yen, Director of the Dong Nai Museum, noted that to preserve and promote cultural heritage values, the museum has been gradually applying technology in exhibitions, digitizing artifacts and national treasures, and introducing 360-degree virtual tours of heritage sites to enhance interaction and visitor experiences. Many historical sites have been restored and upgraded, becoming destinations for sightseeing, learning, and research for both locals and visitors from other provinces.

“In the near future, the Dong Nai Museum will continue innovating and applying technology, expanding partnerships, and contributing to transforming cultural heritage into a resource for socio-economic development, building Dong Nai citizens who are dynamic, creative, compassionate, and globally integrated,” Yen emphasized.

According to Le Thi Ngoc Loan, a Provincial Party Committee member and Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the province will continue to effectively implement Central Party Resolution No. 33-NQ/TW (11th Tenure) on building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development. It will also inherit and promote the Provincial Party Committee’s Resolution No. 12-NQ/TU (dated December 12, 2023) on building and promoting the cultural values and human character of Dong Nai as an essential resource and driving force for comprehensive and sustainable development, as well as Resolution No. 14-NQ/TU (dated November 20, 2023) on building and developing the culture and people of Binh Phuoc Province toward 2030, with a vision to 2045.

“Dong Nai currently has 120 provincially, nationally, and specially ranked heritage sites, and five national treasures displayed at the Dong Nai Museum, including the Loc Hoa lithophone, the Binh Da lithophone, the Long Giao bronze artifacts collection, the Vishnu statue of Binh Hoa, and the Long Giao Pangolin Bronze Statue. These cultural heritages are invaluable spiritual resources, serving as evidence of Dong Nai’s formation and sustainable development over the centuries,” 

Nguyen Ngoc Yen, Director of Dong Nai Museum

Additionally, the cultural sector will continue to promote activities that serve political tasks and meet the public’s cultural needs, while prioritizing the implementation of the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the 2025–2035 period. Investments will focus on developing cultural sectors tied to economic growth and narrowing the gap in cultural access between urban and rural areas, border regions, and ethnic minority communities. The province also aims to foster the cultural industries, enhance the quality of cultural products and services, strengthen cooperation, and promote the image and cultural values of Dong Nai and its people to the world.

By My Ny – Translated by Trieu Ngan, Minho