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| The image of Son Doong Cave in the photo collection “Wonders of Vietnam”. |
The project has been implemented by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with the US-based Google Group, for nearly two years. It has so far featured 1,369 high-quality art photos and attractive interactive features.
Google Arts and Culture is the largest online digital library platform in the world, formed in 2011 with the aim of digitising tangible and intangible heritage in order to preserve and promote its value. The platform is both like a museum and an online tour accessible to everyone around the world at anytime, anywhere and for free. Its outstanding feature is the ability to store unlimited high-resolution images and videos as well as applying the latest technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
With 35 component exhibitions, the “Wonders of Vietnam” programme introduces not only the beauty of Vietnam’s majestic and pristine nature but also its unique cultural heritage in areas such as architecture, cuisine, the performing arts, festivals and trade villages. Photographer Tran Tuan Viet, who was selected for the photography section, took more than 5,000 photos within three months around the central provinces. He then chose nearly 1,400 photos for the virtual exhibition. He has also been a well-known name in the Vietnamese photography community for many years thanks to his exclusive collaboration with many leading magazines and social networks around the world and his unique “storytelling” photography style that uses images to tell stories.
Divided across many small themes, each photo in the “Wonders of Vietnam” exhibition is a story (in both Vietnamese and English) that helps foreigners and Vietnamese people learn more about the country through famous destinations such as caves in Quang Binh Province, tombs and temples in Hue ancient city, bridges across the Han river in Da Nang and old craft villages in Hoi An City (Quang Nam Province). The virtual exhibition takes visitors on a journey to Vietnam through interesting and evocative information.
One of the most impressive exhibitions in the project is the exhibition on Son Doong Cave in the central province of Quang Binh, the largest cave with its own climate and ecosystem. In addition to admiring the overwhelmingly vast images and magical light, viewers can experience the sound of the wind blowing through the caves.
From a new perspective, viewers have the chance to admire the collection of panoramic images and photos taken from above by remote control flying devices. The seemingly familiar destinations such as beaches, roads, harbours, field and monuments appear with a different beauty. For visitors who are interested in culture, music and history, the exhibition introduces artifacts revealing the life of kings during the Nguyen Feudal Dynasty, 3D models of the tombs of Tu Duc and the Khai Dinh Kings, Champa antiques, Hue’s Royal Court Music and ancient craft villages.
The organisation of the virtual exhibition “Wonders of Vietnam” was one of the outstanding efforts made by Vietnam’s tourism sector in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Originating in the four central localities of Hue, Quang Binh, Da Nang and Quang Nam, the project will be expanded to spread the attractiveness of Vietnamese tourism to international visitors during a time when international tourism is temporarily “frozen”.
The VNAT’s General Director Nguyen Trung Khanh affirmed that the exhibition is considered a “window” to show off Vietnam’s unique culture, wonders and heritage honoured by UNESCO to the world, meeting international visitor demands in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic having affected global tourism and attracting them to Vietnam as soon as conditions allow.
In the coming time, cooperative campaigns between the Vietnamese tourism sector and many global digital platforms will continue to be implemented, significantly contributing to the digital transformation of Vietnam’s tourism and realising the ambition of making Vietnam one of the leading destinations in Asia.
Nhan Dan
