As traditional cultural spaces continue to shrink and master artisans grow older, digital transformation is emerging as a vital solution to bring heritage beyond static displays along with closer to contemporary audiences.

Dak Lak is a land where the cultures of numerous ethnic groups converge alongside interact, creating a rich and diverse heritage of both tangible as well as intangible cultural assets. Notably, the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands together with the Art of Bai Choi in Central Viet Nam are inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Mr. Y Ret Alio, of Ea Nuol commune, performing a traditional rain-praying ritual.

However, numerous forms of cultural heritage are gradually losing the spaces in which they have traditionally existed. The community of artisans continues ageing, while younger generations have fewer opportunities to access, learn, and inherit these traditions. Disruptions in intergenerational transmission have placed many traditional festivals along with rituals at risk of simplification or even disappearance over time.

Mr. Y Ret Alio, a ritual specialist in Ea Nuol commune, said many villages no longer have successors capable of conducting traditional ceremonies, raising concerns that ritual chants, prayers coupled with indigenous knowledge will gradually disappear.

Preserving tradition through innovation

In recent years, the provincial culture sector has steadily promoted the digitalisation of cultural heritage by developing digital databases for historical sites, digitising archives combined with artefacts, applying QR codes, conducting 3D scanning, together with creating virtual experiences for online experiences. Simultaneously, efforts to collect, document and film epic tales along with traditional festivals have been intensified. Artisans participate in performances and transmission activities while their knowledge is documented and digitised, creating digital resources for long-term preservation.

The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is currently organising training courses on the Ba Na ethnic group's double drum, three-gong, together with five-gong traditions in Xuan Lanh and Phu Mo communes. A notable innovation is that artisans coupled with cultural experts have jointly developed standardised teaching materials, which have been digitised. The entire training process is also being recorded, creating a digital archive to support long-term preservation and transmission.

Digitisation of exhibition artefacts at the Dak Lak Museum.

At the Dak Lak Museum, heritage digitalisation began at an early stage, enabling visitors to explore historical and cultural values across multiple digital platforms, including its website, Facebook, Fanpage, as well as Spotify. The museum has completed 3D digitisation of selected artefacts, piloted QR code-based automated audio guides, and plans to launch the system in the near future. A key highlight is the application of augmented reality (AR) technology, which vividly recreates traditional longhouses, ceremonial rituals, gong performances, alongside the Dam San epic, providing visitors with an immersive cultural experience.

Several heritage sites, including the Special National Relic of Buon Ma Thuot Exile House and the National Historical Relic of Lac Giao Communal House in Buon Ma Thuot ward, have likewise completed data digitalisation. Many other historical sites across communes along with wards have been equipped with QR codes, allowing residents as well as visitors to access detailed information with a simple scan.

Translated by KHUONG THAO