Dong Nai (VNA) – Party General Secretary and State President To Lam on May 18 called on Dong Nai city to create a new growth model enabling the southern economic powerhouse to move beyond the limitations of a traditional industrial centre.
The direction was given during a working session between the top leader and the Standing Board of the municipal Party Committee on the implementation of the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress and key development tasks for the coming period.
He stressed that Dong Nai should no longer rely primarily on industrial land, low-cost labour or the sheer number of investment projects, but instead focus on productivity, technological advancement, innovation capacity and knowledge-based growth capable of generating broader spillover effects for domestic enterprises.
Agreeing with the key orientations and priority tasks identified by the Standing Board of the municipal Party Committee, General Secretary and President Lam stressed that the greater the opportunities Dong Nai holds, the more candidly it must confront the limitations and bottlenecks hindering its development, in order to adopt stronger, more fundamental and more effective solutions in the coming period.
He urged the city to rapidly translate the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, as well as the strategic resolutions of the Politburo and that of Dong Nai's first Party Congress, into concrete actions, measurable projects and tangible outcomes, with clearly defined timelines and responsibilities.
He emphasised that the local Party organisation must be truly clean, strong, united and cohesive, while officials should be evaluated based on efficiency, public satisfaction and their ability to handle difficult tasks. Officials who dare to think big and act bold for the common good should be protected, and those showing complacency or avoidance of responsibility must be replaced.
The Party and State leader highlighted the need to identify Long Thanh International Airport as the core driver for restructuring Dong Nai’s development space. He requested the early formulation of a master plan for the Long Thanh Airport and Nhon Trach urban areas, and surrounding zones, while ensuring close coordination with ministries and agencies to accelerate key infrastructure projects, including the second phase of Long Thanh Airport, the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau railway and inter-regional transport facilities.
He also underscored the necessity for long-term, integrated and feasible planning, free from fragmented interests and land speculation. Dong Nai, he said, should reorganise its urban space toward a multi-centre development model, and tighten management over land conversion, auctions, compensation and site clearance. Issues relating to bauxite, forestry land and Cat Tien National Park must be handled cautiously to ensure harmony between development, conservation, national defence – security and people’s legitimate interests.
Emphasising that people must remain at the centre of all development policies, the General Secretary and President called on Dong Nai to build a modern, civilised, compassionate and liveable city where economic growth goes hand in hand with social progress, welfare, environmental protection and cultural preservation.
Given Dong Nai’s position as one of Vietnam’s largest industrial centres with a sizeable migrant workforce, the leader highlighted the importance of social housing, worker accommodation, schools, hospitals, cultural institutions, public spaces and workers' well-being as essential foundations for sustainable development.
He further urged the city to accelerate digital transformation and ensure the efficiency of the two-tier local administration model, enabling administrations to have sufficient authority, data and resources to resolve issues effectively right at the grassroots level.
The top leader also agreed in principle with Dong Nai’s proposals and instructed relevant agencies to coordinate in drafting a Politburo resolution on the city’s development through 2035, with a vision toward 2065.
Vu Hong Van, member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Dong Nai Party Committee, affirmed that the city will fully absorb and seriously implement the directions given by the Party General Secretary and State President as well as the opinions raised at the working session.
In the immediate future, it will focus on addressing shortcomings and bottlenecks in order to soon realise the goal of developing Dong Nai into a “civilised – modern – happy” city, with an aim to become a key national growth powerhouse, a major economic connectivity hub and an important gateway for international integration in the new development era.
In 2025, the locality maintained robust growth momentum, with its economic scale reaching nearly 678 trillion VND (25.7 billion USD), accounting for more than 5% of the country’s GDP and ranking fourth nationwide. It posted a growth rate of 9.63% in 2025 – its highest in a decade, while its growth in the first quarter of 2026 hit 9.76% – the highest in southern Vietnam.
Earlier, at President Ho Chi Minh’s Memorial House located within the Dong Nai Party Committee headquarters, General Secretary and President Lam and his accompanying delegation offered incense to express profound gratitude for the immense contributions by the late leader – the brilliant founder and trainer of the Communist Party of Vietnam – on the occasion of his 136th birth anniversary (May 19, 1890–2026).
The delegation also offered incense in tribute to General Vo Nguyen Giap, an outstanding disciple of President Ho Chi Minh, and heroic martyr Vo Thi Sau./.
