Bringing cultural and tourism values ​​of Hue and Vietnam into deep international integration

The “Hue-S” portal or online tourist support applications prove useful, helping to promote destinations, book services, locate tourist maps, and create distinct competitive advantages for Hue tourism.

Millions of visitors, including many international visitors, have come to Hue in the year the city hosted the National Tourism Year 2025. These numbers are good news not only for Hue tourism but also for Vietnam tourism.

In the long term, the question is how to take advantage of the "golden opportunity" to bring the cultural and tourism values ​​of Hue in particular and Vietnam in general into deep international integration, thereby not only achieving the goals for the National Tourism Year 2025 but also developing sustainably and integrating deeply.

Digital transformation - the key to "opening" tourism in the integration era

Arriving in Hue during the time of many events, Ms. Ha Thi Thu Suong, a tourist from Hanoi, was captivated by the festival atmosphere on all the streets of the city. The outdoor art stages of international artists, the vibrant colors of Ao Dai on the Perfume River, and the "party" combining sound and light in front of Kien Trung Palace (Hue Imperial City), all made Ms. Suong clearly feel the characteristics of the Festival city.

Ms. Suong is impressed and satisfied with the technology widely applied in tourism activities. She said that all information about programs, schedules, and locations are provided on the "Hue-S" application, so almost all of her favorite programs are not missed. Through "Hue-S", she can continue to book tickets to Da Nang on the "Connecting Central Heritage" train.

In recent years, Hue has been at the forefront of the country in building digital government and smart cities. This advantage is being strongly exploited for the tourism industry.

The “Hue-S” portal or online tourist support applications have proven to be useful, helping to promote destinations, book services, and locate tourist maps. This digital tourism ecosystem turns Hue into a “smart destination”, creating a distinct competitive advantage.

Coming to Hue Imperial City and Nguyen Dynasty tombs, QR codes are ready to automatically provide multilingual explanations, facilitating and personalizing visitors' exploration journeys. In particular, virtual reality technology is gradually being applied, allowing visitors to experience Hue in the past and interact directly with the heritage, opening up new approaches to cultural tourism.

A reconstruction of the Changing of the Guard Ceremony took place at the Ngo Mon Gate of the Hue Imperial City. (Photo: Pham Hau/VNA)

Mr. Rami Chu, a Korean tourist, shared that with the design of multilingual QR codes, with just a smartphone, foreign tourists who have never been to Hue can easily embark on their own journey of discovery.

Hue's digital tourism map system is integrated on a mobile application platform, helping visitors easily look up information on relics, scenic spots, cuisine, accommodation facilities and shopping services.

The cooperation between Phygital Labs Joint Stock Company and Hue city has been creating "breakthrough" products promoting digital transformation in tourism, culture, and heritage.

As proof, nearly 100 precious antiques have been digitally identified with blockchain technology and NFC (near-field wireless connection technology) and brought to digital exhibition rooms.

People and tourists can access heritage using technology through many types of devices such as phones, computers, and virtual reality glasses.

In just a short time, the digital exhibition rooms attracted nearly 10,000 international visits from more than 40 countries.

The Tap Quest Interactive Tourist Station system has added 70 stations at 12 locations in the Hue Monuments Complex in July 2025, bringing the total number of stations in Hue to nearly 100, attracting tens of thousands of check-ins.

Interactive tourist stations become the gateway connecting the young generation with relic destinations in Hue and opening up a "sky" of digital interaction.

“De Do Khao Co Ky” - a cultural toy product about Nguyen Dynasty antiques in the form of a blindbox (mystery box) is sold 2-3 times faster than other cultural souvenir products.

Each of these products is equipped with an NFC chip, which not only enhances the visitor's experience with the gift, turning souvenirs into "digital assets" associated with heritage, but also helps authenticate and manage products with cultural copyright.

Founder and General Director of Phygital Labs Joint Stock Company Nguyen Huy shared that travel itineraries can be personalized through a “heritage digital passport” for each tourist, recording check-in and experience history, thereby connecting tourists with badges, rewards or exclusive collectible products.

Each heritage space in the future can also become a smart point of sale, where each cultural product or service is equipped with an identification chip, helping to increase transparency and expand commercialization capabilities.

Furthermore, Hue can completely bring its heritage “out of the country” through digital exhibitions, with blockchain acting as a guarantee of authenticity. At that time, tourists anywhere can connect with Hue and Hue will affirm its position as a global gateway for digital heritage.

The leaders of Hue City Department of Tourism also affirmed that one of the development orientations in the coming time is to continue to improve tourist experience through digitalizing services, applying AI technology, and multilingual guides.

Infrastructure, human resources and environment are commensurate

Tourist attractions and historical sites attract a large number of visitors. (Photo: Van Dung/VNA)

Hue currently has 886 accommodation establishments with over 14,000 rooms; including 24 35-star hotels and 90 travel agencies, well meeting the needs of tourists and the city's tourism development trends.

According to the Hue City Department of Tourism, the city has prioritized investment in infrastructure connecting tourist destinations, such as: Coastal roads, Thuan An seaport overpass, To Huu extended road connecting Phu Bai airport with the center, Nguyen Hoang bridge across the poetic Huong river, ironwood pedestrian bridge and the space on both banks of the Huong river.

The city focuses on upgrading multimodal transportation, ecological destinations such as Bach Ma National Park, boat docks, and ecological trails.

Hue continues to attract many strategic investors to implement high-end tourism projects: Laguna Lang Co, VinGroup, BRG, Ecopark... creating a foundation for long-term development. New hotel and commercial center systems such as AEON MALL, SBH Gloria Hue, Eden Hue, Indochina, Hue Time Square, Hue Tourism Complex Plaza with shopping, entertainment, high-class cuisine... add high-quality accommodation facilities, improve services and expand destination choices for tourists.

Mr. Imai Takeshi, General Manager of AEON Mall Hue, said that the unit has implemented many business forms to create highlights, bringing Hue's cultural characteristics to the people such as building a "Cultural Corner", creating a separate space to introduce and sell specialties imbued with the identity of the Ancient Capital; organizing a market for agricultural products and local OCOP products; implementing a preferential voucher program exclusively for tourists.

“In the near future, the company will organize a series of events, art programs and cultural exchange activities between Vietnam and Japan and many other cultures; coordinate with the local Tourism and Transportation industry to expand services for tourists; including developing bus services and building a comprehensive package combining shopping - cuisine - entertainment exclusively for tourists,” said Mr. Imai Takeshi, General Manager of AEON Mall Hue.

Regarding digital infrastructure, General Director of Phygital Labs Joint Stock Company Nguyen Huy said that Hue needs to invest in a server system strong enough to operate big data platforms, from digital identification to digital exhibitions and exploitation of digital assets.

People are also a decisive factor. In addition to a team of experts in traditional preservation, Hue needs to build a workforce capable of managing data systems, developing, operating and maintaining technology platforms, designing digital experiences, and operating creative economic models.

Along with that are flexible policies, encouraging public-private cooperation, creating opportunities for technology enterprises to access; propose, test and deploy innovative solutions, contributing to effectively exploiting and promoting heritage values.

The most important thing is to change the perspective, considering heritage not only as a spiritual treasure to be preserved but also as a national asset and economic resource that can be sustainably exploited.

In terms of high-quality human resources, Hue has the advantage of being a regional multi-disciplinary education and training center; including tourism. Hue University of Tourism has been promoting cooperation with businesses, increasing students' internship time; at the same time, creating conditions for students to work in domestic and foreign tourism businesses.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Huu Tuan, Principal of Hue University of Tourism, said that along with professional skills, students are focused on training in foreign languages, communication skills, problem solving and global thinking.

Thanks to that, students after graduation have a high employment rate and can be ready to work immediately. This high-quality human resource contributes to building a friendly and high-quality image of Hue and promoting innovation in tourism products and services.

Training linkage with enterprises is the "golden bridge" between schools and reality. This linkage helps students practice their profession during their studies, through internships and internship programs (short-term work experience) at home and abroad; access modern technology and management processes of the global tourism industry, helping students quickly catch up with the international working environment; receive feedback from enterprises to adjust and improve training programs, ensuring that graduates meet the human resource needs of the market..., Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Huu Tuan shared.

Regarding the tourism environment, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh said that environmental protection is a focus of the city government, demonstrated through maintaining clean and beautiful landscapes and investing in "green" infrastructure.

During peak tourist season or at major events, the situation of haggling and price gouging is relatively well controlled thanks to the intervention of functional forces and quick response teams, contributing to building the image of Hue as a civilized and friendly place in the eyes of tourists./.

Lesson 2: Hue City creates and builds green tourism products and models

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/dua-gia-tri-van-hoa-du-lich-hue-va-viet-nam-hoi-nhap-sau-rong-quoc-te-post1059643.vnp