Seizing the opportunity to create change

Dr. Le Nguyen Truong Giang, the Director of the Digital Transformation Strategy Institute (Vietnam Digital Communication Association), raises the issue of the Mekong Delta tourism sector often being perceived as offering repetitive products with limited appeal to long-term travelers who seek to increase their spending. Traditional tourism methods may struggle to enact change, but digital transformation holds the potential to reverse this trend. Dr. Le Nguyen Truong Giang asserts, "Digital transformation is a valuable tool in supporting the Mekong Delta provinces and cities in forming a shared development block, fostering connectivity, and sharing values on a common platform. Travelers can optimize their experience with a single touch on a smart application, efficiently and effectively experiencing destinations and services." Sharing the same opinion on this perspective, Mr. Huynh Hoang Huy, Head of Business Development at Vin HMS Company, states, "Can Tho City and the Mekong Delta possess diverse and unique tourism products, from destinations to culture and cuisine. In Can Tho, travelers may be familiar with Cai Rang floating market, Ninh Kieu wharf, and Son Islet, but other destinations remain relatively unknown. Through the use of digital technology, this can change, making Can Tho and the Mekong Delta more identifiable and effective with target markets."

According to experts, digital transformation in terms of business and innovation will generate new values for the tourism industry and related businesses. It will provide benefits in terms of management and efficient market access, as well as optimize the experience for travelers seeking to explore and experience the region. Therefore, the development of smart tourism ecosystems is essential for the growth of local tourism. Through information technology applications, promotional activities, information about products, services, and promotional programs can reach residents and tourists quickly and efficiently. Businesses can access diverse markets and formulate appropriate core strategies. Leveraging digital data, technology will assist in market analysis, and destination quality assessment, and provide suitable solutions.

According to the insights shared by technology companies, with the development of online travel data platforms, travelers only need to provide information about their destination, time, preferences, budget, and more. Analytical tools will then generate a financially suitable itinerary, custom-designed to match their preferences and health considerations. In this way, digital technology enables travelers to make informed and cost-effective choices, saving them time. On the other hand, the digital platform offers various utilities, including Smart travel information portal and mobile travel applications; Smart tourism management and operation systems; Interactive 3D digital tourism maps and virtual tours; Multilingual international standard automatic narration systems; Smart travel information kiosks; Automatic ticket control and online ticket sales systems; 3D digital exhibition and booths… To fully harness the potential of digital technology in tourism, there is a need for a change in mindset, methods, and approaches.

Can Tho City embraces digital technology in tourism

Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City, views digital transformation as an essential requirement and an inevitable trend in the development of all aspects of local life, economy, and society. Consequently, Can Tho City has set goals to be among the top 5 provinces and cities in the country in terms of developing information technology industries and among the top 10 in applying information technology in the activities of state agencies. Specifically for the tourism sector, Can Tho has implemented a Smart Tourism Information Portal and a Smart Tourism Application for mobile devices, gradually contributing to enhancing the effectiveness of tourism management, and connecting residents, tourists, and businesses. These applications have played a part in attracting over 8 million visits and interactions, with an average of over 7,000 visits per day.

The Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Can Tho City has formulated a Digital Transformation plan, aiming to enhance the application of information technology in the tourism sector until 2025, with a vision for 2030. The plan focuses on accelerating digital transformation throughout the industry, developing a smart tourism ecosystem to improve operational efficiency, stimulate growth, and enhance the city's competitiveness in tourism. The sector concentrates on six key areas: Improving the tourism industry's database system; enhancing the quality of the canthotourism.vn tourism information portal and mobile tourism applications; Innovating the application of information technology in tourism promotion and support for tourists; Raising awareness of digital transformation; Applying information technology to ensure the safety of tourists in the new context; Investing in the upgrade of information technology equipment and technical infrastructure for system management and operation.

From these directions, the tourism sector has collaborated with VNPT Can Tho, Viettel Can Tho, Mobifone Can Tho, and Mekongexpo Digital Communication Company to develop and pilot numerous digital transformation models in tourism activities. These include smart tourism systems, smart tourism platforms, and e-commerce platforms. Specifically, VNPT has collaborated with the City's Tourism Department to pilot a smart tourism system, focusing on six main aspects: the city's tourism information portal, smart tourism applications for mobile devices, digital tourism maps, analysis of tourist feedback integrated into the system, building a tourism industry database, and integrating a chatbot system into the city's tourism information portal and mobile application. Currently, the smart tourism information portal and mobile application have integrated various new and modern features, such as 3D virtual tourism maps, introducing Can Tho's tourism destinations using VR360 technology, and 360-degree cameras.

In the digital transformation plan for Can Tho City until 2025, with a vision for 2030, digital transformation in the tourism sector is identified as one of the crucial and prioritized areas. The key tasks to be concentrated on include the development and deployment of digital applications to provide intelligent tourism services and change the way tourists interact in the digital environment. These tasks encompass: Establishing a smart tourism card system with diverse information, services, and utilities for tourists; Digitizing all tourism destinations, products, cultural and entertainment events within the area using digital maps; Implementing mobile-based tourism narration using voice conversion technology between Vietnamese and common international languages; Applying virtual reality, augmented reality, and other emerging technologies to deliver the best possible travel experiences in terms of convenience and appeal; Collaborating with businesses to develop and deploy all-in-one digital tourism applications to assist tourists throughout their journeys, including booking accommodations, tours, and transportation services; Integrating and connecting with applications that allow receiving and processing tourist feedback; Integrating and connecting with local online payment platforms to promote cashless payments at tourism destinations; Enhancing the tourism industry's specialized database (accommodations, tour guides, travel and transport businesses, tourist areas, facilities meeting tourism standards, etc.). Currently, the City's Tourism Department is actively promoting digital transformation, gradually shifting from traditional tourism promotion and destination management to utilizing digital technologies. This includes digitizing tourism databases, resources, and products, as well as sharing information about the customer market and strengthening collaboration and tourism development between Can Tho and other regions.

The application of digital technology is a vital task for driving the development of local tourism. To effectively implement digital transformation, Can Tho's tourism sector has developed a strategy and chosen suitable technology approaches, progressively working towards tangible results.