Awakening the 'soft power' of culture (Part 2)

>>> Lesson 1: Awakening the "soft power" of culture

Báo Đồng Nai•21/05/2026

Lesson 2: The Problem of Preserving Identity

Despite achieving many outstanding results, the development of culture and people in Dong Nai province has faced numerous difficulties and challenges in recent times.

The harmonious balance between economic development and preserving cultural identity, building a well-rounded and well-rounded Dong Nai people, and promoting their characteristic qualities of friendliness, compassion, civility, and modernity, is becoming a central task and an endogenous resource for sustainable development.

There are still many difficulties and challenges.

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: To achieve the goals and tasks outlined in Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW dated January 7, 2026, of the Politburo on the development of Vietnamese culture (Resolution 80), Dong Nai needs to build a creative space with a national brand for performing arts linked to tourism. Dong Nai currently lacks land use planning; only with available land can an ecosystem be formed, and only with an ecosystem can a complex of activities be created. Within this complex of activities, a model of a multi-functional theater, a multi-purpose theater, and an outdoor performing arts center with a capacity of up to 50,000 people must be established and built.

Artists and actors from the Dong Nai Arts Theatre performed for the public to celebrate the founding of Dong Nai City at the Khanh Hung Theatre, Tran Bien Ward. Photo: My Ny

“The artists and writers of Dong Nai are looking forward to the political determination of the city's leaders at all levels towards the goals of the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding, the 85th anniversary of the nation's founding, and the conclusion of the First Congress of the Dong Nai City Party Committee. Dong Nai City should have at least one national-level creative space for literature and art, bearing the imprint, identity, and brand of Dong Nai,” Mr. Ha shared.

As a locality experiencing rapid urbanization, Dong Nai is facing significant challenges in preserving and promoting traditional values. Among these, the system of grassroots cultural and sports facilities is not commensurate with the city's development. In many localities, cultural centers and recreational areas are lacking and have inadequate infrastructure; they are small and cramped, and their equipment is outdated. The socialization of culture and sports also faces many difficulties.

According to the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Xuan Bac commune, Hoang Van Thiet, the locality currently has a General Service Center (with 3 badminton courts, 1 volleyball court, 5 outdoor sports equipment and 5 children's games); 19 out of 19 hamlets have cultural houses built to meet the standards for facilities as prescribed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The commune has 6 cultural and artistic clubs and 11 sports clubs operating in cultural and sports facilities.

However, activities at the Xuan Bac Commune Comprehensive Service Center and the hamlet cultural centers remain monotonous and not regularly maintained, focusing only on occasional activities. Some hamlet cultural centers are small, only large enough to accommodate a basic office building and sports field, lacking diverse sports facilities to attract a wide range of people. Socialization efforts to invest in infrastructure and organize activities face many difficulties due to the low profitability of this sector and the complex legal procedures involved.

Youth union members and young people in Phuoc Son commune participated in a volleyball match to celebrate the establishment of Dong Nai city. Photo: Contributor.

Meanwhile, in Phuoc Son commune, 26 villages have cultural centers equipped with facilities for meetings, cultural activities, and arts. The locality also maintains 2 Then singing clubs and 26 amateur arts groups that operate regularly. The commune People's Committee has established a General Service Center but it does not yet have its own headquarters. In addition, the commune does not have a library or separate reading room; reading books and newspapers is integrated into the commune hall and village meetings during regular activities.

A report evaluating the performance of grassroots cultural and sports facilities in Phuoc Son commune reveals that: Currently, the infrastructure and equipment at these facilities in the commune are inadequate and dilapidated. Many village cultural centers have not been repaired or upgraded because they are located within the planned bauxite mining project area, thus preventing investment in construction and renovation. Furthermore, the commune's Cultural and Sports Center has not been built, leading to the need to utilize the commune's meeting hall or the commune's People's Committee grounds for organizing activities, limiting the scale and conditions for such events.

Of the 11 mountainous communes and wards in Dong Nai, 7 communes do not have cultural centers: Bu Gia Map, Tho Son, Bom Bo, Dak Nhau, Nghia Trung, Dak O, and Phuoc Son (which have established a comprehensive service center but lack a headquarters, temporarily using shared rooms or halls of the commune's People's Committee); 4 communes and wards have cultural centers: Bu Dang, Phu Nghia, Phuoc Long, and Hang Gon. The Bu Dang commune cultural center is in a state of disrepair and needs upgrading and repair.

Prioritize investment resources for grassroots culture.

Recognizing the challenges, over the years Dong Nai has been implementing many sustainable development solutions, prioritizing significant investment in culture, especially in areas with unique characteristics such as industrial zones, border regions, and areas inhabited by ethnic minorities and religious groups. Many projects have been implemented to expand and renovate public cultural spaces; build cultural and sports facilities; and restore and preserve historical relics, making a significant contribution to improving the spiritual life of the people.

According to Le Ngoc Tien, Chairman of the People's Committee of Trang Bom Ward, the locality has focused on effectively utilizing investment resources in the cultural sector, ensuring that resources are used for the right purposes, economically, and bring practical value to the community. State budget funds, support funds from higher levels, and socialized resources have been allocated rationally for the construction, upgrading, and repair of cultural institutions from the commune to the hamlet level, contributing to improving the quality of service for the people.

Hung Vuong Cultural Park in Trang Bom ward has been invested in and developed to become a cultural destination for the people. Photo: Thanh Toan

Currently, Trang Bom ward has 21 out of 22 hamlets with cultural centers built to the required standards; at the same time, it encourages businesses, organizations, and individuals to invest in cultural services and expand community living spaces. Notable examples include the successful mobilization of Nike Corporation to support the construction of a multi-purpose sports field in Doan Ket hamlet worth over 1 billion VND; and the social mobilization of a mini football field in Hamlet 4 worth over 800 million VND… Through these efforts, significant changes have been made in grassroots cultural life, contributing positively to the socio-economic development of the locality.

Simultaneously, cultural and artistic clubs and sports groups at the grassroots level are encouraged to develop. On this foundation, Dong Nai is gradually building a new human values system with four pillars: compassion, dynamism, creativity, and integration. This is not only a development orientation for the people of Dong Nai but also linked to the overall goal of building Vietnamese people in accordance with the spirit of Resolution 80.

The Chơro ethnic cultural center in Bảo Vinh ward has become a destination for young people to learn about traditional culture. Photo: My Ny

According to Le Thi Ngoc Loan, Member of the City Party Committee and Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Dong Nai is accelerating focused investment in cultural fields linked to economic growth, ensuring the narrowing of the cultural access gap between urban and rural areas, border regions, and ethnic minority areas. Priority is given to tasks such as improving infrastructure and cultural institutions; training human resources; building and positioning the city's cultural brand; and strengthening cooperation and promoting the image, cultural values, and people of Dong Nai to the region and the world.

Dong Nai is implementing a project to renovate the Bien Hoa Citadel area into an ancient citadel square; simultaneously, it is urgently repairing the ancient houses on the West and East sides and the infrastructure of the Bien Hoa Citadel historical site. In addition, it is developing a Creative Space Project for Dong Nai artists and writers within the provincial museum grounds and a Book and Reading Culture Space Project in Tran Bien ward.

My Ny

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/van-hoa/202605/danh-thuc-suc-manh-mem-van-hoa-bai-2-c980c42/