QUẢNG NAM — A website showing the UNESCO-recognised Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary is being built thanks to cutting-edge 360 virtual reality technology.

The project was organised by the Management Board of Mỹ Sơn World Cultural Heritage in collaboration with the Digital Transformation Solution Company Limited (VR360), a member of Bizverse. To provide details of the heritage through virtual reality technology, the website will feature interactive and immersive content that surrounds a user as if they are standing in the middle of a scene.

Chăm women pass by a tower in Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary. The sanctuary has been well preserved though it was built thousands of years ago during the prosperous development of the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries. — Photo disanvanhoamyson.vn

According to the director of the Management Board, Phan Hộ, the partnership aims to improve the experience for visitors to the heritage. In addition, it will also help the board apply digital technology to its conservation and promotion of the heritage's values, popularising those values to all tourists, including domestic and foreign.

In the project's first phase, which started at the beginning of 2022, the detailed VR360 virtual reality website was built, integrated with virtual voiceover features, launched an overview introduction, and brought the 3D digital museum model on Bizverse's 3D World Map.

In the second phase, which will be carried out in late 2022 and 2023, the website will be upgraded with new features, including enhancing its interactivity and 360 degrees rotation. In addition, the website will also offer exhibition space for the museum on Metaverse so that viewers can access and visit from everywhere.

In recent years, the Management Board of Mỹ Sơn World Cultural Heritage has implemented several digital transformation projects to improve conservation efficiency and promote heritage values, including digitising artefacts preserved at the site and the museum.

"The application of information technology in the conservation and promotion of Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary has changed the management process, significantly contributing to the attraction of tourists, especially foreigners," said director Hộ.

Situated in a peaceful valley surrounded by mountains, the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary in Quảng Nam Province's Duy Xuyên District has been well preserved since it was built thousands of years ago during the prosperous development of the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries. The ruins are now a popular destination because of their cultural relevance and architectural features. 

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognised the site as a world cultural heritage site in December 1999. — VNS