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| The Tay and Nung people in Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc hold the Long Tong festival every year. In the photo: The 2025 Long Tong festival of the Tay and Nung people in Thanh Son commune, Dinh Quan district. Photo: Ly Na |
When culture becomes the red thread that connects people and the community into a great solidarity, it promises to create a new Dong Nai face full of potential and rich identity.
From Bien Hoa land…
Bien Hoa pottery, in the past, had a golden age "on the wharf and under the boat", when pottery was present in most of the constructions inside and outside the Southeast region. Through many ups and downs, Bien Hoa pottery still persistently preserves the traditional pottery soul by the gentle Dong Nai river. In the yard of Hien Nam pottery workshop (Hoa An ward, Bien Hoa city), artisan Hoang Ngoc Hien - a potter who has been attached to the profession for more than 20 years, is still working hard at the turntable, his rough hands quickly shaping the shape of a new ceramic vase.
Amidst that steady rhythm, artisan Hoang Ngoc Hien tells an old story: “Bien Hoa pottery has been famous since the French colonial period, and the pottery produced was sold throughout the six provinces of the South. In the years 1920-1950, Bien Hoa pottery participated in major exhibitions in Paris, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, etc. The people of Dong Nai in the past were not good at handicrafts but they were also very brave. They fought the enemy, defended their land, built villages, and were not afraid of sacrifice. Therefore, many of the pottery products I made have been telling historical and cultural stories of the land that has been formed and developed for 327 years.”
Folk artist PHAM LO shared: “Don ca tai tu is the soul of Dong Nai in particular and the South in general. We have cherished the plan to bring amateur and reformed opera to Binh Phuoc to perform and serve the people. Now, after the merger, Dong Nai is larger, we must preserve and spread this art form, so that the lyrics and the music can connect people and unite the people.” |
Indeed, Dong Nai is not only a land with a vibrant industrial development but also a land bearing the mark of history and resistance. From the D War Zone to the historical and cultural relics along the Dong Nai River such as: Tan Hiep Prison, Nguyen Huu Canh Temple and Tomb, Tan Lan Communal House, Hang Gon Megalithic Tomb… all mark the heroic and enduring history of many generations of resilient residents who stuck to and preserved their homeland.
Not only having a historical tradition of resistance, Dong Nai is also famous for its rich treasure of intangible cultural heritage. Festivals such as Ong Pagoda, Sayangva, Sayangbri, Ky Yen at village communal houses; folk songs of Dong Nai ethnic minorities or Don Ca Tai Tu songs still echo in daily life, like an invisible thread connecting generations of Dong Nai people together.
Folk artist Pham Lo, Head of the Dong Nai Province Amateur Music Club, said that when Binh Phuoc officially merged with Dong Nai, he and artist Tram Oanh composed a folk song about the two regions of Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai as a spiritual gift to the people of the two provinces. This song not only praises nature and people but also arouses pride in cultural roots, fostering the will to unite to build the homeland more and more prosperous.
…to connect and promote cultural values
In the cultural field, recently, many typical cultural families in Binh Phuoc have come to Dong Nai to exchange on the occasion of Vietnamese Family Day; or ethnic minority musical instrument teams, lithophones from Binh Phuoc have come to perform in Dong Nai and vice versa. These are vivid evidences of the cultural exchange and connection between two lands that are already “intimate”, now even closer when officially under the same administrative roof.
According to Director of Dong Nai Cultural - Cinema Center Ton Thi Thanh Tinh, Binh Phuoc - Dong Nai have long had many similarities and ties in history, culture as well as people. When becoming a unified entity, the unit will have the conditions to connect, expand playgrounds, and cultural exchanges in the community. This is also a way to foster solidarity, promote human strength, and contribute to building a new Dong Nai that is civilized, modern, and imbued with identity.
As artisan Pham Lo said: “This land, this profession, this singing, this musical instrument… are ours. If we want to preserve it, we must pass it on, make it live on, more beautiful, more interesting”. The journey of preserving and promoting cultural values is and will open up new opportunities, contributing to improving the spiritual life of the people, together building an open, modern Dong Nai but still preserving the soul of the countryside and traditional identity.
And when cultural identity is the thread that connects the community in the common journey of building and developing... precious heritages are preserved, historical and cultural stories are told and nurtured, all will continue to be passed on and spread from generation to generation. Although there are many challenges ahead, with the spirit of solidarity, diligence and creativity of the people of the two lands, a new, modern, dynamic and affectionate Dong Nai will certainly soon affirm its position as an important economic and cultural center of the Southeast region.
Ly Na
Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202506/khi-ban-sac-la-soi-day-ket-noi-cong-dong-8170cf1/
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