New Digital Experience at Hue’s Attractions

During a recent trip to The Imperial City of Hue and the Hai Van Pass Scenic Lookout, visitors discovered a new way to interact with the sites: simply touching their smartphones to special boards for information, images, and the option to leave their names.

This initiative represents a significant move towards digitization by the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, introducing smart interaction stations (called Tap Quest) at tourist destinations.

These smart stations are equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, allowing visitors to tap their devices and access a wealth of historical and cultural information through various media like videos, 3D models, texts, and AI-guided tours.

Functioning as digital tour guides, these stations provide tourists with easy access to useful information and support throughout their journey.

The interconnected nature of these stations creates a seamless cultural experience, forming a detailed map of heritage highlights with unlimited potential for further enhancement.

At each site, tourists receive guidance on itineraries and directions to nearby attractions. They can also take photos and upload their own pictures to a digital “honor board,” enabling them to leave their mark without disrupting the historical beauty of the locations, while also helping to promote tourism.

Additionally, engaging activities with enticing rewards are offered to enhance the visitor experience.

The smart interaction station technology made its debut at Hai Van Pass in September 2024, coinciding with its reopening following renovations in Hue and Da Nang.

Known as “The World’s Most Marvelous Wonder,” this site is a major draw for both local and international tourists.

Although still in the pilot phase and not extensively marketed, the technology has already shown great promise at the location.

Within just over two months of installation, the stations recorded more than 5,600 interactions and gathered numerous photos, receiving enthusiastic feedback from thousands of visitors.

Building on this success, the technology was rolled out to The Imperial City of Hue in mid-November 2024, just in time for the reopening of the Thai Hoa Palace after its three-year renovation.

In the short span of two weeks, around 3,800 visitors engaged with the smart stations there.

The Hue Monuments Conservation Center, in collaboration with Phygital Labs, plans to further expand this innovative technology for various cultural and heritage sites in Hue.