Enhancement of linkages between tourism products and exploitation of folk belief and religious heritages in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in contemporary Vietnam

Abstract

Việt Nam is not only rich in natural resources but also has diverse cultural and religious heritages. This is a Vietnam’s particular strength. In the context of international integration, the value of cultural heritages becomes a very important factor which constitutes national identities and attractiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to consider cultural and religious heritages, both tangible and intangible, as potential resources which can significantly contribute to the socio-economic development, especially the growth of tourism. The natural resources, no matter how rich they are, if irresponsibly be exploited, will be exhausted. Meanwhile, religious resources, if wisely be preserved and exploited, will be forever. In the context of international integration and exchanges, the Party and State has policies and strategies to turn tourism into a leading field of the economy. In order to turn cultural and religious resources into products that serve tourism, especially in the context of the industrial revolution 4.0, it is crucial to have the collaboration of various fields such as natural and social sciences, culture, sports and tourism. Initially, we need to build a raw database of the religious heritages. This is what has been neglected for long or not implemented systematically. Basing on this database, we will digitalize and use to turn them into products for tourism such as digital map, search tools, applications, software, etc. Hopefully, this will be the task to be fulfilled by co-operation among state agencies in the coming time.