Dong Nai (VNA) – Party General Secretary and State President To Lam on May 18 stressed the establishment of Dong Nai as a centrally run city marks a great turning point that opens a new development chapter.
He made the remarks during a ceremony held at Long Hung Square to announce the National Assembly’s resolution on the establishment of Dong Nai city and to award the locality the first-class Labour Order.
Under Resolution No. 30/2026/QH16, officially effective from April 30, Dong Nai city borders Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dong and Tay Ninh provinces, and Cambodia. It covers more than 12,700 sq.km and has a population of nearly 5 million people, with 95 commune-level administrative units, including 33 wards and 62 communes.
In his address, the top leader described Dong Nai as a land of profound historical, cultural and revolutionary significance. During wartime, it epitomised the unyielding spirit, patriotism and loyalty to the Party and the nation. In peacetime and throughout the country’s renewal process, Dong Nai has remained a pioneering locality distinguished by creativity, determination and aspirations for development.
Dong Nai has gradually emerged as one of Vietnam’s major industrial, urban and integration centres, with steadily improving living standards and effective implementation of social welfare policies, poverty reduction programmes, social housing initiatives, and healthcare, education and cultural development projects.
General Secretary and President Lam noted that the new status requires a new development vision; a larger development space demands stronger governance capacity; and greater pride must be transformed into a greater sense of responsibility toward the people and the nation.
He highlighted Dong Nai’s convergence of rare strategic advantages, including its economic scale, population, infrastructure, natural resources and rich historical and cultural heritage. These strengths, he said, position the city to become a multifunctional growth pole, a national centre for industry, aviation and innovation, and a key driving force for the southeastern region.
The Party and State leader urged Dong Nai’s Party organisation, authorities, armed forces, businesses and residents to jointly nurture the aspiration for a “new Dong Nai” worthy of its centrally governed city status. Dong Nai must aim for higher development standards and strive to rank among Asia’s most liveable and startup-friendliest cities, following the path pioneered by Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
To realise that vision, the city should transform its distinctive advantages, including multimodal transport infrastructure, industrial capacity, logistics networks, border connectivity and creative human resources, into new development values. These strengths should be integrated into a comprehensive development model in which industry, services, urbanisation, ecology, culture, border trade and national defence – security complement one another, creating a smart, dynamic and internationally integrated city with its own identity, he advised.
General Secretary and President Lam emphasised that a truly developed city is not measured solely by economic scale, high income, high-rise buildings or modern infrastructure, but firstly by the quality of life enjoyed by its people. He called for more attention to employment, housing, schools, hospitals, cultural institutions, public spaces and environmental quality, particularly for workers, disadvantaged communities and border areas.
He also underscored the importance of preserving and promoting Dong Nai’s diverse cultural and historical values, describing culture as the enduring foundation for sustainable development. The people of Dong Nai in the new era, he said, must embody discipline, knowledge, a high sense of responsibility, creativity and aspirations for progress while preserving the image of a civilised, humane and integrated city.
The leader further stressed the need to mobilise the support of businesses and the public, noting that sustainable development cannot rely solely on the political system but must be built upon public trust, entrepreneurial capacity and social consensus.
He asked the municipal administration to create a transparent, favourable, and fair environment; businesses to innovate, enhance their competitiveness, and link interests with social responsibility; and citizens to act as the main stakeholders in building a civilised city and preserving the environment, order, discipline, and community identity.
Reaffirming central authorities’ continued support through appropriate mechanisms and policies, the top leader said the decisive factor will remain the proactiveness, creativity, self-reliance and determination of Dong Nai’s Party organisation, administration, businesses and people.
Expressing confidence in the city’s future, he said Dong Nai will continue to develop fast and sustainably, deserving its role as a centrally run city and a major growth engine for both the southeastern region and the country as a whole./.
