Powerful digital transformation
Quang Ninh Museum was inaugurated in October 2013, is an outstanding architectural work, received the Ashui Awards in the category "Work of the Year 2013" presented by the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association.
Known as an attractive tourist destination, the museum attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. This is one of three museums in Vietnam that is completely self-sufficient in regular financial resources.
According to a report from Quang Ninh Museum, digital transformation has been strongly implemented here since 2013. A typical example is the "virtual museum" model launched in December 2014, applying 3D imaging technology to recreate real space and uploading it to the website baotangao.baotangquangninh.vn. Visitors can visit online, explore the museum overview as well as the exhibition spaces with detailed, easy-to-understand content.
By June 2023, Quang Ninh Museum will continue to digitize and exploit the electronic ticket system, allowing visitors to buy tickets online and use QR codes to visit, helping the museum limit cash transactions and improve efficiency in management.
To enhance the visiting experience, since September 2024, Quang Ninh Museum has put into use an automatic guide system (Audio Guide). This device, connected to headphones, helps visitors listen to detailed explanations about the history and culture of the exhibits.
When visitors approach artifacts or exhibition spaces, the device will automatically play a commentary, providing a convenient and proactive experience. Currently, the system supports 3 languages (Vietnamese, English and Chinese), with plans to add more languages in the future.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan - tour guide at Quang Ninh Museum - shared: "There are large tourist groups, up to 50 people, tour guides have to use loudspeakers, but not everyone can hear clearly, in crowded places people can easily lose focus. With the automatic commentary system, visitors can pause to answer the phone, then continue their visit without interruption, proactively exploring the museum".
Digital transformation expands space to Yen Tu and coal mines
Quang Ninh Museum currently owns about 60,000 artifacts, including 5 typical collections of the province that have been scientifically documented and 12 artifacts recognized as National Treasures. To date, the museum has digitized about 20,000 artifacts. To expand the exhibition space, the museum has connected 4 cameras at Yen Tu since 2015, and plans to continue connecting 2 cameras at the Special National Monument of President Ho Chi Minh Memorial Site on Co To Island and Tra Co Communal House in Mong Cai City.
Quang Ninh Museum is collaborating with Mobifone Quang Ninh to implement a project to apply VR 360 technology to Yen Tu space and coal mine. Through virtual reality glasses, visitors can visit Yen Tu or experience the journey down the coal mine. Data on Yen Tu relic is expected to be completed in December 2024, the coal mine will be completed before February 2025.
VR 360 allows users to experience a completely virtual space, where they can observe all directions around them as if they were in that space. VR 360 will provide panoramic images, allowing users to see every angle from every direction, creating the feeling of living in that environment.
When users wear virtual reality glasses, they can interact with virtual space, helping tourists experience visiting Yen Tu, open-pit coal mines, and underground mines without having to go there in person.
Mr. Nguyen Si Ngoc - Head of Technical Equipment Department of Quang Ninh Museum - said: "Digital transformation not only helps to promote the museum more effectively but also brings many benefits to visitors. VR 360 technology will help visitors visit the spaces of Yen Tu or the coal mine, even get closer to the artifacts, interacting with that virtual space will create interesting experiences".
According to Mr. Ngoc, thanks to digital transformation, the number of tourists to Quang Ninh Museum has increased significantly over the years. Specifically, in 2019, the museum welcomed nearly 380,000 visitors, of which international visitors accounted for about 10%. By 2022, the number of visitors increased to about 700,000, with peak days reaching 10,000 visitors. By the end of November 2024, Quang Ninh Museum had welcomed more than 723,663 visitors.
(Posted on the special edition of Labor Weekend Spring At Ty)
