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The national scientific conference “Heritage and Digital Transformation: Challenges and Opportunities” serves as an academic forum for discussing both theoretical and practical issues related to digital transformation in the field of cultural heritage, ranging from heritage preservation and value enhancement to emerging challenges concerning technology, human resources, and governance in the contemporary context.
Heritage and Digital Transformation: Challenges and Opportunities
In the context of ongoing reform, industrialization, modernization, and increasingly deep international integration, digital transformation has become an inevitable requirement for Vietnam’s sustainable development trajectory. In recent years, digital transformation has played an important role across various sectors of social life, while also opening up new approaches to the field of cultural heritage. It has contributed to improving the effectiveness of heritage management, research, preservation, and value enhancement, while at the same time strengthening the nexus among culture, technology, and tourism development.
Within this broader trend, the application of digital technologies such as artifact and monument digitization, 3D scanning, 3D mapping, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and digital platforms for heritage data storage and utilization is generating significant changes in the ways heritage is accessed, promoted, and communicated to the public. These technologies not only support more effective preservation, but also enhance public engagement and accessibility to heritage for both domestic and international audiences, thereby creating new opportunities for the development of cultural industries in the digital era.
However, the process of digital transformation in the field of cultural heritage also poses a number of issues that require serious and comprehensive scholarly discussion. Challenges related to financial and human resources, technological infrastructure, the digital divide, copyright concerns, legal frameworks, as well as the need for data governance capacity and the development of digital ecosystems for heritage, have become matters of pressing theoretical and practical significance.
To contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of these opportunities and challenges, and to create an academic platform for knowledge exchange, experience sharing, and solution-oriented dialogue in the contemporary context, Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture, in collaboration with universities, research institutes, and UNESCO in Vietnam, is organizing the National Scientific Conference “Heritage and Digital Transformation: Challenges and Opportunities.”
The conference is expected to provide a meaningful academic space connecting researchers, lecturers, experts, managers, businesses, and relevant organizations to deliberate on key issues surrounding digital transformation in the field of cultural heritage, from theoretical and policy perspectives to practical implementation.
Time, Venue, and Format
According to the conference plan, the event will take place at 08:00 a.m. on Thursday, 28 May 2026, at Hall C, Campus 1, Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture, 51 Quoc Huong Street, An Khanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. The conference will be held in person, and the working language will be Vietnamese.
Target Participants
The conference welcomes the participation of scholars, administrators, lecturers, staff members, representatives of agencies, organizations, businesses, and individuals with an interest in culture, heritage, and digital transformation. Specifically, participants may include:
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Representatives of co-organizing institutions: Hanoi University of Culture, Fulbright University Vietnam, the Institute of Cultural Studies, the Vietnam Folk Arts Association, and UNESCO in Vietnam;
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Lecturers, staff members, and employees of Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture;
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Representatives of universities and research institutes related to culture, heritage, and tourism;
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Representatives of state management agencies in the cultural sector, particularly those responsible for heritage management;
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Representatives of museums and heritage site management boards;
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Members of the Vietnam Folk Arts Association, scholars, and experts in relevant fields;
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Representatives of information technology enterprises;
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Representatives of media agencies.
Key Themes of the Conference
The conference focuses on several timely and interdisciplinary themes, including:
(1) Digital transformation in the field of cultural heritage: conceptual frameworks and global trends
This theme aims to clarify the theoretical foundations of digital transformation in heritage studies, emerging international directions, and their applicability within the Vietnamese context.
(2) The impacts of digital transformation on the field of cultural heritage in Vietnam
Papers under this theme may examine changes in awareness, management, preservation, and heritage value enhancement, as well as the influence of digital technology on current modes of heritage access and engagement.
(3) Identifying technological, human resource, and ethical challenges in the digital transformation of cultural heritage
This theme invites discussion of barriers to implementation, including technological capacity, professional human resources, legal issues, ethics, and data protection.
(4) Experiences, models, and good practices in heritage digitization
Contributions may present effective application models, practical lessons, and case-based experiences from localities, research institutions, museums, heritage sites, or organizations engaged in digitization initiatives.
(5) Building a digital ecosystem for heritage in Vietnam
This theme addresses strategic solutions to foster linkages among state agencies, educational institutions, technology providers, conservation bodies, communities, and businesses in developing digital infrastructure and heritage data ecosystems.
Submission Guidelines and Requirements for Conference Papers
The Organizing Committee welcomes submissions prepared in accordance with the standards of academic research papers. Key requirements include:
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The paper title should be in uppercase, bold, and font size 14;
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Manuscripts should be prepared in Microsoft Word, on A4 paper size, with a length of 4,000 to 6,000 words;
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Use Times New Roman, font size 13, with Multiple 1.15 line spacing;
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Margins should be set at: top 2.5 cm, bottom 2 cm, left 2 cm, right 3 cm;
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A Vietnamese abstract of no more than 250 words, accompanied by 3–4 keywords, is required;
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References and citations should follow APA 7th edition; the reference list should be organized in accordance with academic writing conventions;
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At the end of the manuscript, authors should provide their full name(s), academic title(s), degree(s), institutional affiliation, contact address, phone number, and email address;
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Submitted papers must not have been previously published or submitted to journals or other conference proceedings.
Submission Deadline and Email Address
The deadline for full paper submission is before 15 April 2026.
Manuscripts should be sent to: thachngocnguyen@hcmuc.edu.vn
According to the invitation letter, accepted papers will be selected for publication in the conference proceedings with an ISBN.
Contact Information
For further information regarding the conference, please contact:
Dr. Pham Lan Huong
Conference Coordinator, Lecturer, Faculty of Heritage and Ethnic Culture
Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture
Phone: 0988 191 632
This conference constitutes a meaningful academic forum that connects scholarly and practical perspectives, while also fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on the preservation and promotion of heritage values in the context of rapid technological development. Interested authors, colleagues, and relevant stakeholders are cordially invited to review the conference information, prepare manuscripts aligned with the conference themes, and submit their papers in accordance with the timeline announced by the Organizing Committee.
