The guests at the seminar “The Journey from Static Archiving to a Creative Ecosystem: New Advances in Digital Art and Heritage in Việt Nam”. — Photo baotintuc.vn

HÀ NỘI — From archive to alive, Việt Nam’s cultural heritage is being reimagined through digital innovation, opening new ways for the public to experience the past in the present.

The Journey from Static Archiving to a Creative Ecosystem: New Advances in Digital Art and Heritage in Việt Nam was held on Monday at the Hà Nội Creative Activities Coordination Centre, located in the Hà Nội Museum.

The event coincided with the Politburo’s Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture, which calls for digitising cultural heritage; applying technology in the management, preservation and promotion of cultural values; and expanding public access to cultural activities.

In the digital age, art is no longer confined to picture frames, glass cases or dry documents. It is undergoing a creative digital transformation. Vietnamese art and heritage are moving from static archives to vibrant, technology-enabled experiences that awaken memories and link the past with the present. These digital projects offer novel, multisensory experiences and have drawn widespread praise from visitors.

Speaking at the seminar, independent curator Nguyễn Thế Sơn said digital transformation is a major trend in art, with digital works making up more than half of major exhibitions worldwide. In Việt Nam, combining multimedia art with ancient heritage has attracted broad public interest and helped address challenges in the cultural industry.

Artist Phạm Trung Hưng, whose digital exhibition Bùi Xuân Phái with Hà Nội was highlighted at the seminar, said he wanted to change how audiences encounter art. By digitising and enlarging paintings to near-life scale, Hưng allows viewers to step into the nostalgic world of Xuân Phái. His contemporary approach has made art more accessible to the public and evoked strong emotions through the digitisation of older works.

Recognising this trend, the Hà Nội Museum has been gradually shifting since 2019 from a traditional, static exhibition model to one that incorporates digital technology. What began with a few projectors and television screens has grown into a series of new digital exhibitions.

Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Hòa, director of the Hà Nội Creative Activities Coordination Centre, said applying digital technology makes exhibitions more dynamic than traditional displays and brings art closer to the public.

The seminar offered multifaceted perspectives on the development of digital art in Hà Nội and pointed to future trends such as immersive experiences, artificial intelligence-driven works and the rise of digital artists. — VNS