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Following global trends, advanced countries around the world are applying the latest technologies to cultural tourism. The Hue Imperial Citadel Conservation Center has pioneered the testing, deployment, and integration of various technologies such as smart interactive stations and virtual reality exhibitions of Nguyen Dynasty artifacts.
The application of technology to tell the story of cultural and historical heritage and increase visitor interaction with each monument and heritage site has only recently received significant investment. Pioneering this trend and in line with the context of cultural tourism in Vietnam, the Hue Imperial Citadel Conservation Center has deployed a smart interactive station in the Imperial Citadel area ahead of the official opening of the Thai Hoa Palace to visitors after three years of restoration.
The deployment of smart interactive station technology in the Imperial Citadel area helps Hue become a model for applying technology to cultural tourism.
Each smart interactive station acts as a "digital guide," providing various essential amenities and support for visitors. These stations are interconnected in a seamless experience, forming a comprehensive cultural and heritage experience map that is highly customizable and has unlimited development potential. This model has the potential to make Hue a model for applying technology to cultural tourism, with the aim of expanding it nationwide.
Smart interactive stations are physical boards equipped with short-range wireless connectivity (NFC) chips that tourists can tap their phones on to connect to the cultural and historical narrative of each location through a variety of rich forms of presentation, including images, videos, 3D models, text, and AI-powered guides.
Each smart interactive station acts as a "digital guide," providing various amenities and support for visitors.
The cultural and historical story of each location is presented in various forms, including images, videos, 3D models, text, and AI-powered guides. At each location, visitors are also provided with a travel itinerary and guided to the next attraction. Visitors can take photos, "engrave their names on the digital wall" of each location, helping to promote tourism and create a positive impact for the local area.
The deployment of smart interactive station technology in the Imperial Citadel area has helped Hue become a model for applying technology to cultural tourism. This September, the smart interactive station technology was piloted at Hai Van Pass when it reopened to visitors after a joint restoration project between Hue and Da Nang.
This is a new step forward in developing the country's tourism industry.
Standing on Hai Van Pass, visitors not only feel as if they are standing on three layers of clouds, gazing at the majestic landscape, with towering mountains to the west shrouded in mist and clouds, the vast sea shimmering with gold and silver to the east, the dreamy ancient capital of Hue visible to the north, and Da Nang – a bustling city full of vitality and prosperity – visible to the south.
Although it's only a pilot project and hasn't received widespread media attention, this technology has already proven its potential at Hai Van Pass. In just over two months since installation, these stations have attracted more than 5,000 interactions and received hundreds of check-in photos with countless excited reactions from thousands of tourists.
