In Phuoc Long — once part of Binh Phuoc Province before merging into Dong Nai — a new chapter of rebuilding is being written. From the former “land of fire,” Phuoc Long has emerged as a modern urban center while still preserving the proud memories of its glorious past.
A familiar, stirring melody still echoes through the land: “Crossing the mighty Be River, to Phuoc Long we rebuild.” Nearly half a century ago, Phuoc Long was a fierce battlefield where soldiers and civilians together were victorious through blood and fire in a decisive strategic campaign. Today, as we return to Phuoc Long, we witness a new kind of victory — one of economic growth and urban renewal.
Phuoc Long tells its story through a delicate harmony of memory and modernity. The past is not revealed through bullet holes, but felt in spaces steeped in culture and history. Time has left its mark on the imposing Victory Monument of January 6, 1975, and in the silent relics of war preserved within the Traditional House complex. Yet perhaps the most profound way to experience Phuoc Long’s history is by climbing the sacred Ba Ra Mountain. There, moss-covered stone steps and a humble mountain path lead to the martyrs’ memorial shrine. Nestled against ancient cliffs, the solemn space embraces a stone stele engraved with the names of fallen heroes — an enduring cultural “anchor” that reminds us of the sacrifices that made today’s peace possible.
The spirit of this was forged through the unity of soldiers and civilians. The image of “The Sound of Pestles in Bom Bo Village” endures as a beautiful symbol of that solidarity — the love, faith, and resilience of those on the home front. Fortunately, that spirit has not faded. It lives on in the determined eyes of Phuoc Long’s people, who remain deeply rooted in their land and forests, and in the stilt houses that still stand proudly — a quiet yet powerful current of cultural heritage.
Built upon that deep foundation, a future Phuoc Long is rising. Its new “victory” is being shaped by the vitality of economic growth.
One striking symbol of this transformation is the story of the old military airfield. Once scarred by bombs, its runway has now been changed to a wide boulevard — the heart of the Phuoc Binh New Urban Area. What was once a road of war has become a road of livelihood and progress.
If the energy of wartime was symbolized by the bamboo torch, the energy of peacetime is embodied by the Thac Mo Hydropower Plant. From here, electricity flows into the national grid, becoming a new “heart” that powers the entire northeastern economic region of Binh Phuoc.
This vitality also spreads across the lush green rice fields and the golden-brown cashew orchards — the “gold” that sustains local livelihoods — as well as the slender “towers” of swiftlet houses rising among endless rubber plantations. The people of Phuoc Long inherited their ancestors’ resilience, channeling it into entrepreneurship with determination.
Returning to Phuoc Long today, one sees not a contrast, but a continuum — an unbroken current of growth. The journey of rebuilding has never truly ended; it has simply been transformed — from gunfire to machinery, from the flames of war to the light of development. Phuoc Long wears its new economic “attire” with pride, yet never forgets the spirit and foundation that define who they are.
