Dong Nai: From place to work to livable city

For workers, a livable city begins with the basic things in everyday life, such as convenient commutes, suitable housing, schools for their children, accessible healthcare and stable employment.

These aspirations are also reflected in Politburo Resolution No. 16-NQ/TW on building and developing Dong Nai City to 2035, with a vision to 2065 (hereinafter referred to as Resolution No. 16).

Building a people-centered city

For Ho Thi Huong, a worker at TKG Taekwang Vina JSC in Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park, Dong Nai is more than just a place to work. After years of living and working in the city, she now has a family and two young children, and is increasingly concerned about changes that could make life more stable and convenient for workers.

The interchange between the Ho Chi Minh City–Long Thanh–Dau Giay Expressway and the Bien Hoa–Vung Tau Expressway is strengthening regional connectivity and providing fresh momentum for Dong Nai’s socio-economic development. Photo: Cong Nghia

“I hope roads will be developed more systematically so workers can commute more safely and conveniently. I also hope there will be more affordable housing, enough public schools near industrial parks, easier access to healthcare and greater support for workers,” Huong said. “As the city develops, I hope it will create more stable jobs, better working conditions and higher incomes for workers.”

Huong’s aspirations are shared by many workers and are among the issues at the heart of Dong Nai’s development strategy. Resolution No. 16 calls for the city to be built and developed around the principles of civilization, modernity and happiness, with people at the center—as the subjects, resources, beneficiaries and ultimate goal of development. By 2035, Dong Nai is envisioned as a green, smart, multicentered and multipurpose city developed under the models of an aerotropolis and a riverside city, with high-income residents and a civilized, safe and happy society.

At a ceremony on May 18 announcing the National Assembly’s Resolution establishing Dong Nai City, Party General Secretary, State President To Lam stressed the need to build a city for people, ensuring that all residents share in the fruits of development. Dong Nai, he said, should become a modern, civilized, compassionate and livable city, with economic growth pursued alongside environmental protection, social welfare and the preservation and promotion of cultural identity. Ultimately, development should give every family a more prosperous, secure and happy life.

Expanding the living space

While Huong views Dong Nai’s development through the lens of a factory worker, Dang Van Xiep, who works at the Nhon Trach Ward Party Committee, looks at it from the perspective of local realities. He hopes the city’s new development phase will provide further impetus for Dong Nai to accelerate investment in infrastructure, particularly strategic transport networks, urban infrastructure and public facilities.

Workers at Vietnam Precision Industrial Joint Stock Company in Ho Nai Ward during working hours. Photo: Nguyen Hoa

According to Xiep, well-connected infrastructure will support economic growth while improving quality of life. For Nhon Trach, stronger regional links—particularly with Ho Chi Minh City and other Southeastern localities—will expand the city’s development space and create better conditions for attracting investment in industry, services and urban development.

From Nhon Trach, infrastructure development is also closely tied to Dong Nai’s broader spatial-development strategy. Resolution No. 16 envisions an open spatial structure featuring a multi-tiered, polycentric urban structure, alongside modern, integrated and smart transport networks. Rivers and natural ecosystems are to serve as the city’s main landscape axes. Dong Nai is also expected to capitalize on its strategic gateway position in the Southern key economic region, strengthening connections with other parts of the country, the region and the international market, while making effective use of its emerging role as an airport city.

From the perspective of urban development requirements, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tuong Van, during the review and appraisal of the proposal to establish Dong Nai City, said Dong Nai is a major industrial and logistics hub as well as an international transport gateway for Southern Vietnam, particularly with Long Thanh International Airport. Alongside infrastructure development, he said, Dong Nai needs to strengthen urban governance, improve planning and pay greater attention to the quality of infrastructure, landscapes and architecture to better meet the demands of its next stage of development.

These requirements present Dong Nai with a clear challenge: how to grow rapidly without compromising urban quality. Resolution No. 16 sets out a vision for each stage of development. By 2045, Dong Nai is to become a modern aviation and knowledge-economy hub in the Asia-Pacific region. By 2065, it is envisioned as a globally connected city offering a high quality of life and high level of happiness, ranking among the world’s multifunctional airport cities.

Even before Resolution No. 16 was issued by the Politburo, the Dong Nai City Party Committee had called for a major shift in the implementation of its tasks from the first months of the new city’s operation.

Resolution No. 05-NQ/TU, issued by the municipal Party Executive Board on May 1, 2026, launched a special 500-day-and-night campaign under the theme “Unity – Discipline – Efficiency – Breakthrough, Building a Civilized and Modern Dong Nai.” The campaign, which will continue with higher standards through 2030, focuses on strengthening discipline and public-service accountability, removing bottlenecks and unlocking resources, accelerating administrative reform and digital transformation, and improving services for residents and businesses. Implementation is tied to measurable results, deadlines and concrete outcomes.

Resolution No. 16 places people at the center of Dong Nai City’s construction and development—as its participants, resources, beneficiaries and ultimate goal  —and calls for the city to be built around the principles of civilization, modernity and happiness.

For residents, these orientations will first be measured through everyday changes: easier travel, more stable employment, better access to essential services and improved living conditions. These are the things that can transform Dong Nai from a place to work into a place worth living in—and worth calling home.

By Ho Thao - Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha