Driving breakthroughs in tourism product development

Dong Nai’s tourism sector has recently shown positive signs of growth as tourism products have been developed by leveraging existing strengths while introducing new products, creating breakthroughs in distinctive tourism products to meet the needs of domestic and international visitors.

Dong Nai has welcomed international cruise ships since early 2026.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (DCST), forest-based ecotourism products such as Cat Tien National Park and Chua Chan Mountain; agricultural and community-based tourism products in Ta Lai and Long Khanh; and cultural and heritage tourism products, including the city’s system of historical and cultural sites, traditional Bien Hoa pottery craft, and various tourist areas and attractions, are gradually being developed and improved, creating greater differentiation for Dong Nai tourism.

Upgrading quality and diversifying tourism products

Assessing tourism product development during the implementation of Resolution No. 04-NQ/TU, dated December 30, 2021, of the Provincial (now the Municipal) Party Committee’s Executive Board on developing tourism into an important economic sector for 2021-2025 period, the Standing Board of the Dong Nai Party Committee said the city had attracted more than VND4 trillion in business investment for the development of new tourism products over the years. Specifically, two tourism areas — Son Tien and Ba Giot Waterfall — were put into operation, while eight newly invested hotels were put into operation, contributing to improvements in tourism infrastructure and facilities. In addition, Dong Nai has developed three tourism products recognized under the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) program.

Several tourism destinations in Dong Nai have also received prestigious domestic and international recognition. Cat Tien National Park was officially recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2024 as the 72nd protected area in the world to receive Green List status. The Dong Nai Nature-Culture Reserve was recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2025. Ta Lai Community Tourism Village received an ASEAN Responsible Tourism Award from the International Center for Responsible Tourism — Southeast Asia (ICRT-SEA) in 2025. Son Tien Tourism Area was recognized by the Vietnam Records Organization in 2024 for 11 record-setting facilities and attractions, while Bo Cap Vang Tourism Area was voted one of the 10 most popular ecotourism destinations in 2024.

Cultural, sports and tourism events such as the Ong Pagoda Festival, the National Sailing Championships, the Culture, Tourism and Cuisine Week, the Long Khanh Fruit Festival, the traditional Chua Chan Mountain Challenge in Xuan Loc and the Cat Tien Jungle Path race at Cat Tien National Park have also been organized, helping attract visitors and promote Dong Nai’s land and people.

Dong Nai currently has 28 tourism areas and attractions and 225 tourist accommodation establishments with approximately 5,800 rooms, including six hotels rated from three to five stars and 29 hotels rated one or two stars. Tourism experts say the city needs to further develop a system of high-end, internationally standardized accommodation facilities to meet tourism development needs and attract visitors, particularly high-quality international tourists.

Stepping up tourism promotion and marketing

In recent years, Dong Nai has intensified tourism promotion and marketing through various forms, including participation in major tourism events organized by localities, such as international tourism fairs in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi and Can Tho; Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Day; the Dien Bien Orchid Tree Festival; and Nha Trang Sea Tourism Festival. At the same time, the city has hosted regional and national-level cultural, tourism and sporting events on an annual basis. In particular, in 2025, Dong Nai organized a national-scale Pottery and Hot Air Balloon Festival to attract visitors and promote the image, land and people of Dong Nai to large numbers of residents and visitors from across the country and abroad.

Dong Nai has also stepped up tourism promotion through digital technology platforms. The city has developed 3D virtual-reality tourism products for destinations such as Tran Bien Temple of Literature, Cat Tien National Park, the Dong Nai Nature-Culture Reserve, Nhon Trach Sac Forest and the Nguyen Huu Canh Temple, helping enhance visitors’ experiences while strengthening tourism promotion and marketing. In particular, information technology has been effectively used to promote Dong Nai tourism through websites and platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and TikTok, enabling tourism-related information to be delivered promptly to residents and visitors.

To develop tourism products commensurate with its potential, Dong Nai City is coordinating with relevant agencies and units to complete infrastructure and procedures for receiving international cruise passengers and connecting them with one-day sightseeing tours, with the aim of attracting high-spending cruise visitors in the coming period.

Dong Nai has implemented numerous tourism development cooperation programs, particularly with provinces and cities in the Southeast region. The DCST has coordinated with its counterparts in localities across the region to organize activities to survey and develop tourism products and promote tourism to businesses and media agencies both inside and outside the city. These tourism promotion and marketing activities have helped showcase Dong Nai’s cuisine, scenic landscapes and cultural heritage more widely to domestic and international audiences.

By Thuy Moc - Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha