Historical treasures are cultural heritage, and if they remain stagnant, they may not generate significant economic value. However, with the help of technology, this issue will soon be addressed.

Conserving, spreading, and creating economic value for cultural heritage

The four historical treasures include: the Nguyen Dynasty throne, the Dai Hong Chung bell at the Thien Mu Pagoda, the high censer in the Nine Dynastic Urns at the Imperial Palace of Hue, and the cannon in the Nine Dynastic Cannons.

If these items remained housed at the Hue Imperial Relics Preservation Center, they would only attract a limited number of local visitors and wouldn't generate much economic value or be widely disseminated around the world.

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Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Imperial Relics Preservation Center. Photo: NL

This has been a longstanding concern for Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Imperial Relics Preservation Center, who has always asked how these cultural relics can be utilized to develop the digital economy and make cultural industries create great value while spreading the historical and cultural significance of these relics worldwide.

To address this, the Imperial Capital Archaeology Project was created. This project transforms the four historical treasures into modern cultural products that are easy to access through blind-box art toys, a trend that has gained popularity recently.

Using Nomion technology, the toy replicas of these treasures are embedded with RFID chips (including NFC chips combined with Blockchain technology), making them unique and authenticated.

The owner can use their smartphone to interact with the toy, confirming their ownership, learning about the creation process of the relic, and exploring the historical and cultural significance through 3D images, multimedia stories, and more.

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Replicas of the Nguyen Dynasty treasures are produced as collectible blind-box toys integrated with Nomion technology. Photo: LM

According to Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, the project has created an exciting exploration experience, stimulating curiosity and the desire to learn about history among the younger generation.

This not only helps promote the image of Vietnam’s cultural heritage but also affirms Hue’s position as one of the country’s major cultural centers.

Mr. Trung also stated that this is not merely a business project but one with an educational mission. Through each product, viewers, students, and tourists can engage with the stories of history and traditional cultural values in a dynamic and understandable way. It contributes to raising awareness, especially among the youth, about the importance of preserving and promoting heritage.

Moreover, the project has attracted the interest of a large number of tourists, both domestic and international, helping promote Vietnam’s image and introducing the unique cultural beauty of the country to the world, deepening understanding of the core values of Vietnamese spirit.

“We believe that historical knowledge will inspire love for the country and pride in Vietnam’s identity in the younger generation. At the same time, the project will help heritage not only remain a part of the past but also be connected with the present and future,” Mr. Trung said.

Mr. Hoang Viet Trung emphasized that the Imperial Capital Archaeology Project is a clear example of how cooperation between various sectors in developing the digital economy and cultural industries can generate tremendous value.

The project has successfully connected creators, historians, digital technology experts, and the community to create a high-quality, modern cultural product.

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Mr. Huy Nguyen, co-founder of Phygital Labs. Photo: NL

The challenging journey to add economic value to cultural heritage

Mr. Huy Nguyen, co-founder of Phygital Labs, one of the teams implementing the Imperial Capital Archaeology Project, shared that bringing this project to life was not an easy journey.

Phygital Labs had to create a detailed and comprehensive plan, not only for the technology and products but also for operations and communications.

The company had to overcome many meetings to persuade authorities to allow the application of their technology to cultural heritage. Over the course of more than a year, the company started with small steps, proving its capabilities and earning trust to take on larger projects.

“The Imperial Capital Archaeology Project is the first of its kind to be implemented in Vietnam and at a location with significant cultural heritage value. Therefore, persuading leaders to allow its execution and spreading those values to the public was a challenging and difficult task. Earning trust from the leadership and fulfilling the commitments made was the most important factor in overcoming these challenges,” Mr. Huy Nguyen said.

Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Imperial Relics Preservation Center, also noted that the biggest difficulty in projects like the Imperial Capital Archaeology Project is the collaboration of many parties, which requires alignment and a clear direction for implementation.

According to Mr. Trung, executing projects to preserve and enhance the economic value of cultural heritage requires clearer legal regulations.

There is a need for policies that allow pilot programs, legal frameworks, and support for applying digital technologies to heritage preservation, including tax incentives, funding, or innovation support.

This model should be integrated into national programs like "National Digital Transformation" and "Cultural Industry Development," or create national standards that provide a common framework for digital technologies, heritage preservation, and historical simulation for localities to apply.

Le My