Cao Bang - a mountainous, border province located in the Northeast region of the country - has an important position in terms of defense and security and also a friendly and attractive tourist destination. As a province with rich tourism resources, Cao Bang has the potential and strengths to develop tourism into a key economic sector.

Realizing the goals and aspirations of developing Cao Bang province’s tourism into a key economic sector in a sustainable direction, in addition to Resolution No. 78/2021/NQHDND issued on December 10, 2021 of the Provincial People's Council, the decision on "promulgating policy regulations to support community-based tourism development in Cao Bang province until 2025", the plan to develop digital government and ensure network information security in 2022 are the basis for applying digital technology, implementing digitalization at tourist destinations, creating conditions for tourists to easily access as well as improve the quality of tourism products...

With that spirit, the provincial government is actively shifting the traditional model to a modern model based on digital platforms and data-based digital value chains to help customers benefit through improved tourism experiences. following a new model in digital space.

The opening event towards the tourism ecosystem applying digital technology in Cao Bang took place at the end of April, when Cao Bang organized the program to implement its Smart Tourism Portal application.

The smart travel portal with online data platform, connecting solutions, organizations, and methods will be more convenient for tourists. It brings mutual benefits to all three main subjects in tourism: residents, tourists, state management agencies and businesses participating in the tourism industry.

Implementing the Digital Transformation Project of Cao Bang province to 2025, with a vision to 2030, 4G and 5G network will cover all districts, cities, tourist areas and destinations in the province. Mobile phone signal and free WIFI will be provided to bring convenience to visitors. Under this project, some works have been built, for example, the construction of a distributed sound system at outdoor relic sites in the Pac Bo Special National Monument to introduce history of the national revolution associated with each location; the pilot installation and construction of 36 surveillance cameras and 5 free wifi points at Ban Gioc Waterfall Tourist Area at the time of pilot operation for tourists passing through the Ban Gioc Waterfall landscape area (Vietnam) – Detian (China).

The province has launched digital platforms serving tourism, coordinated with service providers to maintain and upgrade the Smart Tourism Portal (caobangtourism.vn), developed a smart tourism application on smartphones (Cao Bang Tourism app) with utilities such as map lookup, finding accurate information about locations, automatic programming based on tourist needs, booking hotel and motel services easily, saving time and costs for tourists. These apps help individuals and businesses expand business opportunities, promote, create chain links, and develop a complete chain of tourism products and services.

Currently, the Smart Travel Portal has English and Chinese language versions designed to be simple to use and easy to interact with on computers and smartphones. The tourism portal puts 7 prominent tourist areas and destinations of the province into VR360 digital testing (virtual tourism and virtual interpretation).

In addition, Cao Bang province built many electronic information pages and fanpages to serve tourism promotion and development such as: dulichcaobang.vn with over nearly 10 million visits so far, posting 175 news and promotional articles; caobangtourism.vn has nearly 2.5 million visits, posting 180 news and promotional articles; Caobanggeopark.com page with over 1,700,000 visits, posting 60 news and promotional articles; Pacbo.vn page with over 200,000 visits, posting 80 news and promotional articles, Fanpage Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark with about 127,000 visits, posting 40 news and promotional articles, fanpage of the Provincial Special National Monuments Management Board with about 600,000 visits, posting115 news and promotional articles, fanpage of Non Nuoc Cao Bang Tourism has over 478,000 visits, posting 270 news and promotional articles...

The tourism industry of Cao Bang also enhances the application of digital technology in tourism promotion by coordinating the implementation of the following categories: "Non Nuoc Cao Bang Tourism", "Cao Bang Land of Thousand Years", "Cao Bang's Potential and Development" on the province's press publications; Effectively exploit news and articles about Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark on electronic newspapers to introduce Cao Bang images and tourism; opening specialized pages, columns, reports, improving the quality of news and articles, increase the posting of beautiful images about the people, land, and mountains of Cao Bang; testing the experience room, including the showing of documentary films about President Ho Chi Minh at the Pac Bo Special National Monument, creating QR codes for promotional materials about Cao Bang tourism.

VNPT Cao Bang has organized a space to experience virtual reality technology, where a number of tourist areas and destinations in the province are introduced. This agency has also installed 5 information lookup tables about UNESCO Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark at the information centers of the geopark.

By promoting the application of digital transformation in the tourism sector, Cao Bang not only aims to improve processes or create convenience for tourists, but also to develop a clean, green tourism model suitable to new trends today.