Dong Nai Literature and Arts: 50 years of creativity and dedication

Dong Nai Cai Luong Stage performs online, serving audiences inside and outside the province. Photo: L.Na

That proud 50-year journey has been and is the foundation for generations of Dong Nai artists to build a new image, continue to break through, accompany the sustainable development of the country, and reach out with the new aspirations of the homeland.

Half a century of building and shining

Along with the country’s strong transformation and development over the past 50 years, Dong Nai’s literature and arts have been constantly active. Before 1975, the land of Bien Hoa - Dong Nai was famous for the names of poet-soldier Huynh Van Nghe, writers Binh Nguyen Loc, Ly Van Sam, Hoang Van Bon… These writers and poets have become symbols of the spirit of “using literature and arts as weapons”, using poetry and literature to encourage the entire Party, the entire army and the entire people in the fight for national independence.

On the morning of April 22, at the Provincial Party Committee Hall, a scientific seminar on 50 years of Dong Nai's literature and arts after the country's reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025) took place. The seminar aimed to comprehensively and deeply evaluate Vietnam's literature and arts in general, and Dong Nai in particular, 50 years after the country's reunification; affirm achievements, point out limitations, draw lessons, and propose tasks and solutions for the development of the province's literature and arts in the new period.

People's Artist Giang Manh Ha, Chairman of Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association, said that after the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, especially since 1979, with the official establishment of Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association, the movement of artistic creation and performance in Dong Nai has entered a new page. From here, a generation of talented and dedicated artists appeared, such as Nguyen Duc Tho, Le Dang Khang, Nguyen Thai Hai, Dam Chu Van, etc. The shining examples of senior writers, together with the rich reality of life, have helped many of them create valuable works.

“Along with literature, Dong Nai’s arts and culture now have the strong participation of art sectors such as photography, theater - cinema, music, fine arts, folk arts, dance. A new generation of writers and artists has grown up and is affirming their names not only in the province, but also nationwide. Many works of art and culture have won high prizes at regional, national and international competitions, vividly reflecting the breath of the times, demonstrating the dedication and enthusiasm of artists to current issues, society and life” - People’s Artist Giang Manh Ha shared.

According to Than The Thoi, Head of the Vietnam Dance Artists Association in Dong Nai Province, a remarkable achievement of dance in Dong Nai over the past 50 years is the preservation and promotion of folk dances of ethnic minorities. These dances have been systematically exploited and become an indispensable part of cultural events and festivals in the province. Many dancers such as Lam Bao Thinh, Pham Thi Thu Binh, Viet Bac, Minh Chinh, Lam Bao Dai, etc. have won many major awards at regional and national competitions and festivals, making an important contribution to the cultural development of Dong Nai.

Along with creativity, Dong Nai’s cultural and artistic activities 50 years after the country’s reunification are still taking place vigorously with many creative camps, exhibitions, performances, etc. These activities provide an environment for exchange, learning, and encouragement of young talents. Generations of Dong Nai artists have been and are continuing each other, constantly exploring, innovating, promoting and spreading the image of their homeland to friends at home and abroad. On each page, each musical note, each painting, etc., the breath of modern life blends with cultural depth, creating a unique appearance for the province’s cultural and artistic scene.

In addition to professional activities, Dong Nai Literature and Arts also develops movements in agencies, units, localities and clubs in the province, gathering young creative forces who are not members, especially in districts, cities and schools. To encourage creativity, the Provincial People's Committee organizes the annual Dong Nai Literature and Arts Award and the Trinh Hoai Duc Literature and Arts Award (every 5 years) to honor works and projects of high value.

For more new achievements

According to People's Artist Giang Manh Ha, although Dong Nai's literature and arts have a fairly strong creative force, which is considered strong and comprehensive in the Southeast region, in general, there is still a lack of works that truly achieve high ideological and artistic value. Some works are still heavily trending, underestimating artistic depth. In particular, there are still few works that are predictive, capable of reflecting and raising major issues of the times. This reality is becoming a major concern for the province's artists on their journey to find and affirm their creative mark.

The country is entering a new stage of development - the era of national development, Dong Nai's literature and arts cannot stand outside the general trend of society, all fields must move and develop to meet the needs of the new era. Dong Nai's artists, more than ever, have and will continue to make efforts to create, promote and spread, making literature and arts go hand in hand with the development aspirations of the province and the country.

As the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Ho Thanh Son emphasized at the Congress of Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association for the 2025-2030 term held on February 28: “Dong Nai Literature and Arts in the coming time must strongly promote the contributions and dedication of artists in conjunction with the strategic orientations of the province, striving to create valuable literary and artistic works that can move people's hearts with the responsibility, heart and soul of the artist. In addition, we must strengthen the promotion and introduction of literary and artistic works to the public, bringing the province's literature and arts to comprehensive development in both breadth and depth, contributing to orienting ideology, aesthetics, and improving the cultural and spiritual life of the people”.

People's Artist GIANG MANH HA, Chairman of Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association: Dong Nai Literature and Arts continues to innovate, apply technology, and integrate internationally.
Looking back on the 50-year journey after the country's reunification, Dong Nai Culture and Arts has been building a new development strategy for the period from 2025, aiming for new heights, enthusiastically received by the public. The Association identifies innovative thinking, creativity, application of 4.0 technology, meeting the needs of international integration, while continuing and promoting traditional values. Thereby, contributing to building Dong Nai culture and people with strong identity, dynamism, creativity, self-mastery and science and technology, becoming an important resource and driving force in the province's sustainable socio-economic development, accompanying the take-off of Long Thanh International Airport.
Young author LE PHAN HIEU ANH, Literature Department, Dong Nai Literature and Arts Association: Cultivating literature and arts theory, considering this the basic foundation for developing skills and creativity
50 years after the country's reunification, Dong Nai's cultural and artistic activities have achieved many successes but also have some limitations. In order for the current generations of artists to inherit and effectively promote the legacy of the previous generation, moving towards building Dong Nai's cultural and artistic foundation commensurate with the province's socio-economic potential, I think that authors need to cultivate theoretical knowledge about the type of cultural and artistic genre they are pursuing; consider theory as the basic foundation for developing skills and creative paths. Each author himself needs to read and watch more genres of books, expand collaboration, and create a foundation to go further and more firmly on the path of creating cultural and artistic works.
My Ny (take note)