Digital transformation only truly becomes meaningful when people are not merely consuming content, but are able to own and make a living from their own stories.

No longer confined to preservation programs or heritage dossiers, the cultural identity of ethnic minority communities is confidently entering the digital space through digital transformation.

From short videos capturing highland markets, traditional khen performances and indigenous cuisine to livestreams promoting community tourism, many mountainous localities are turning cultural identity into digital assets and digital livelihoods.

But alongside these opportunities comes an increasingly urgent question: How can ownership rights over community cultural values be protected in the online environment?

Digital transformation from “livestream classrooms” deep in the mountains

On April 30, 2026, Lam Binh Commune in Tuyen Quang Province officially launched the “Digital content creation village linked with tourism development for 2026-2030” project.

Under the project, the commune aims that by 2028, more than 60% of participating households will engage in at least one digital economic activity and gain access to basic digital infrastructure.

To achieve that goal, “livestream classrooms” have been opened in the middle of the mountains.

Young people are learning how to film videos, edit clips and livestream, while older residents are telling village stories in front of cameras.

Guiding these classes are successful digital content creators - TikTokers and YouTubers - who themselves come from villages in Lam Binh.

Using a hands-on approach, they teach residents how to use artificial intelligence to edit videos, write titles and host livestreams.

According to To Viet Hiep, Secretary of the Lam Binh Commune Party Committee, the project aims for every resident of Lam Binh to become a digital citizen, directly telling stories about their villages on digital platforms.

In doing so, the commune hopes not only to preserve cultural identity, but also to create jobs and increase incomes through cultural resources.

Under the roadmap, Lam Binh aims to attract more than 3,000 tourists by 2028, while incomes of households participating in digital content creation linked to tourism are expected to increase by at least 30% compared to 2026.

For a commune considered among the most economically disadvantaged in Tuyen Quang Province, the goal of attracting tourists through digital transformation may appear ambitious.

But looking at Lam Binh’s existing results, the figures are far from theoretical.

According to a 2025 report by the commune People’s Committee, total revenue from digital content production activities in the commune was estimated at more than VND34.6 billion ($1.33 million).

In the first four months of 2026 alone, revenue was estimated at VND46 billion ($1.77 million).

The commune currently has more than 70 digital content creators earning high incomes, contributing over 23% of the commune’s budget through personal income tax.

In 2025, personal income tax contributions to the commune budget exceeded VND1.5 billion ($57,700).

From “subjects of preservation” to digital creators

Lam Binh’s push for copyright-protected digital content creation marks a significant shift in awareness about the commercial use of ethnic minority cultural resources in the digital space.

For many years, highland culture often appeared in the media through the perspective of outsiders.

Images of ethnic minority communities became “cultural material”, yet local people rarely had opportunities to participate in the value chain that generated economic benefits from their own identity.

Lam Binh’s approach represents a promising breakthrough when viewed within the broader framework of intellectual property protection.

The model is not merely about tourism promotion.

It touches on a deeper layer of digital transformation - returning the right to tell stories to local communities themselves.

In the online world, the right to tell stories is also the right to create value.

A short video about a highland market can attract hundreds of thousands of views.

A clip demonstrating traditional fabric dyeing techniques can become experiential tourism content.

All of these can generate economic value.

Khau Cau Village in Lam Binh Commune offers a clear example.

According to village head Dang Ton Senh, the village has 129 households, and at one point nearly 50 households participated in digital content creation on YouTube.

That number has since fallen to 15 households.

Still, income from digital content creation has enabled every participating household to purchase washing machines, refrigerators and televisions.

Six households have built new spacious homes, while another six have bought personal cars.

Khau Cau Village demonstrates how digital transformation is gradually turning culture into a digital asset for economic development.

More importantly, local people are no longer standing as passive “subjects of preservation”.

They are increasingly becoming creators, users and protectors of their own cultural resources in the digital space.

This also reflects a significant shift in development thinking for ethnic minority and mountainous regions.

Rather than preserving heritage passively, communities are directly transforming cultural identity into livelihoods while building awareness of copyright, ownership rights and the economic value of cultural resources in the digital era.

A unique advantage and the copyright challenge

Social media platforms powered by artificial intelligence are becoming increasingly saturated with repetitive content.

Digital products made from formulas, overly edited images and trend-chasing content often lack distinctive identity.

As a result, authentic lives, authentic culture and authentic people are becoming what audiences seek.

In that context, ethnic minority and mountainous communities hold a unique advantage in the creative economy - cultural authenticity.

As Truong Van Quang, Chairman of the Lam Binh Commune People’s Committee, explained: “Audiences love mountain people because of their sincerity. We preserve that honesty as if preserving our own life.”

At the same time, as ethnic minority cultural values become digital content capable of generating revenue, the issue of copyright and intellectual property is becoming increasingly pressing.

For years, much indigenous knowledge has been exploited almost freely because it was neither digitized nor properly identified, and lacked suitable protection mechanisms.

Once these cultural values enter the digital environment, the risk of “cultural theft” could happen faster and on a much larger scale.

This raises a major question: How can ownership rights over the cultural values of ethnic minority communities be protected online?

The search for answers leads back to Lam Binh Commune in Tuyen Quang Province.

Under Resolution No. 56-NQ/DU dated April 9, 2026, the Standing Committee of the Commune Party Committee requires that by 2030, Lam Binh must issue a code of conduct and digital content creation guidelines for the commune.

According to Party Secretary To Viet Hiep, the guidelines will serve as a handbook helping residents and digital creators understand what should and should not be done while producing tourism-related digital content in the locality.

This preventive approach is entirely necessary.

Without timely identification in the digital space, many indigenous cultural values could continue to be exploited while the owning communities remain excluded from the value chain.

From Lam Binh, the true nature of digital transformation and the goal of “leaving no one behind” in the digital era become clearer.

Digital transformation is not only about technology. It is also about helping people preserve their own voices in a digital world that increasingly values original creativity.

Sy Hao