Vietnam advances smart tourism through digital transformation

Vietnam is accelerating its digital transformation within the tourism sector, moving from basic visitor enhancements toward data-driven management. In Hanoi, technological applications such as e-ticketing, digital maps, and virtual reality are already being utilized at major sites like the Temple of Literature and the Hoa Lo Prison relic. Some locations, including the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, have even deployed robot receptionists to provide multilingual services and customized tour recommendations.

Despite these advancements, experts note that the industry faces significant hurdles. Current digitalization is largely concentrated on promotion and visitor services, while higher-level management tools—such as big data analytics for crowd forecasting, market analysis, and visitor satisfaction assessment—remain underdeveloped.

Industry leaders suggest that a primary bottleneck is the lack of unified, standardized data. There is a call for the construction of centralized tourism data centers to integrate information regarding destinations, businesses, and traveler behavior. Such infrastructure would allow for more sophisticated AI applications, including predictive modeling and real-time peak-period scheduling. Additionally, local businesses currently face high commissions from international booking platforms, highlighting a need for more competitive domestic digital ecosystems.