HÀ NỘI — A livestream titled Ba Đình – A Journey Through Heritage, organised by the Ba Đình Commune People’s Committee in Thanh Hóa Province, has attracted more than 30,000 views and 2,100 interactions across local digital platforms within days of its broadcast.

The programme is part of the commune’s efforts to implement Politburo Resolution 57 on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation. 

It also supports Thanh Hóa Province’s policy of using technology to introduce and promote cultural heritage.

The series aims to bring local history and culture, as well as images of scenic sites, to a wider online audience.

Discovering Từ Thức Cave online

The first episode featured a virtual tour of Từ Thức Cave, led by a group of Youth Union members and students from Ba Đình Commune Secondary School.

Nguyễn Thị Tâm, an official from the commune's Culture and Social Affairs Division who oversees the scenic site, explained that local residents call it Vọng Tiên (Gazing toward the Immortals), evoking the image of fairies stopping to enjoy the cool air and admire the scenery.

From the entrance, the group continued into the cave, exploring its three sections, which stretch about 200 metres in total and feature impressive stalactites and stalagmites.

At each stop, visitors listened to the guide’s explanations and observed the cave formations.

One notable formation is a stone drum made up of rock slabs and stalactites of varying sizes and thicknesses.

Tour guide Thu Hường said visitors were previously allowed to tap the stones with sticks to hear their different pitches. However, to protect the site, this activity is no longer permitted.

Visitors can still learn about the unique features of the stone drums through the guide’s explanations from a distance.

Online audiences were also able to take part in the programme through the livestream’s comment section and a quiz about Từ Thức Cave.

The quiz featured five questions based on information shared during the virtual tour.

Under the rules, the online audiences had to comment on, like and publicly share the livestream for a chance to win prizes. Combining the quiz with social media sharing helped spread information about the heritage site across online communities.

The livestream on the Ba Đình Commune information portal and the Nga Sơn Biz – Nga Sơn News page attracted more than 30,000 views and 2,100 interactions.

These initial figures reflect public interest in a heritage promotion format that combines on-site experiences, cultural content and online interaction.

Expanding access to heritage

The livestream from Từ Thức Cave is part of a series of initiatives by Ba Đình Commune to modernise the way it introduces and promotes local heritage through digital platforms.

Speaking at a discussion, Mai Đức Bình, vice chairman of the Ba Đình Commune People’s Committee, said the locality is developing an audio guide system accessible via QR codes.

“We have focused on developing an audio guide programme accessible via QR codes, and this is already being implemented,” Bình said.

According to Bình, the commune plans to link QR codes to automated audio guides and make the content available on Facebook and other social media platforms, allowing residents and visitors to access audio introductions to the site.

While the livestream allows audiences to follow the presenter and listen to live commentary, the audio guide system is designed to let visitors explore information about the site at their own pace.

Once the system is fully operational, visitors will be able to listen to audio guides on their personal devices, reducing the need for direct guidance from tour guides.

Making the audio content available on social media will also allow people who cannot visit Từ Thức Cave to learn about its landscape, legends and associated cultural values.

Building on the Từ Thức Cave initiative, Ba Đình Commune is exploring ways to expand heritage tours to other local sites. According to Bình, the commune has two national-level and six provincial-level relic sites, and plans to link them into itineraries highlighting their historical, cultural and scenic values.

Online, the series Ba Đình – Journeys Through Heritage Lands will continue introducing other historical sites and scenic spots, gradually bringing more of the locality’s culture and history to the public through digital platforms. — VNS