Heritage, technology, and identity of Da Nang

Throughout history, closely linked to their geographical, natural, political, and social conditions, each ethnic community has continuously innovated for development. Cultural heritage reflects many different aspects of national characteristics, and at the same time acts as a thread connecting everything that community has created with what they are creating and will create in the future…

Huyen Khong Cave at the Marble Mountains scenic area. Photo: KHA THINH

To prevent heritage from becoming mere "antiques" displayed in glass cases, serving only as reminders of a bygone era, many communities know how to tell their own stories.

Emphasizing cultural identity through storytelling.

In the context of globalization and deep international integration, cultural powerhouses and famous destinations around the world know how to tell their own unique stories and skillfully promote their identity through art, entertainment, and media.

It can be said that each story, nurtured and retold with love, understanding, and cultural depth connected to the land, history, and landscape of that place, becomes a captivating and sincere invitation in itself, arousing in visitors a desire to set foot there, explore , and experience it.

Today's travelers no longer visit a city simply for relaxation and departure; they seek a story to live through, a memory to take home.

With its rich and diverse cultural resources, ranging from traditional to contemporary, Da Nang has much to tell, but what is lacking is a way to organize memories and share its identity in an engaging and creative manner. How can we leverage cultural heritage and historical sites to exploit their originality, transform them creatively, and renew them through storytelling?

A city doesn't need to strive to be a model; it just needs to learn to tell stories from the heart, telling its own story authentically, deeply, intimately, and consistently. Then, visitors will surely come not just to look, but to listen, empathize, and remember it forever.

Legends of Tien Sa, myths of Ngu Hanh Son, memories of the heritage sites of Hoi An and My Son, anecdotes about traditional craft villages along the Thu Bon River, and the fishermen of My Khe fishing village… need to be vividly recreated, helping viewers and listeners not only understand the historical and cultural values ​​but also feel the connection between the past and the present.

In the digital age, storytelling through technology will make abstract concepts more tangible, give heritage a voice, and, most importantly, help cities become modern, intelligent, and creative storytellers.

Of course, technology won't tell stories for humans, but it can revive memories and give cultural voices a wider reach, making cultural experiences more accessible, especially to young people and international tourists.

A gentle swipe of a finger on a QR code at a destination allows visitors to hear stories from village temples, streets, riverbanks, cuisine, and bridges; enabling viewers to "live within the narrative"; experiencing culture that transcends borders and time.

Admittedly, no one tells the story of the city better than the people of Da Nang themselves. Therefore, the mission of storytelling should be entrusted to the people so that each can become a "storyteller" of the city, passionately and authentically in their own way, thereby awakening pride, love, and civic responsibility to "live worthily" in a "livable" city.

Da Nang aims for a more sustainable way of life – living in harmony with true light, with natural biological rhythms, and with a culture rooted in mindfulness. Photo: LE HOANG NAM

Elevating the festival

The project "Organizing unique annual cultural events and festivals, linked with establishing a series of nighttime cultural and festival events in Da Nang city, giai đoạn 2022-2026" has promoted and created sustainability for the brands that Da Nang has achieved, as well as continuing to create unique products to promote the city's image, aiming to become a leading event and festival destination in Asia by 2045, and one of the high-end, innovative, green, and smart eco-tourism centers.

Along with folk, traditional, and historical festivals, Da Nang has successfully organized many unique and nationally and internationally significant events over the past 15 years. However, festivals should not only focus on quantity, scale, stage design, performing arts, and visitor numbers, but also on improving quality and prestige so that each event becomes an underlying cultural current nurturing the city's identity.

Da Nang can absolutely choose its own unique path, becoming a "city of inspiration and creativity" where each festival and event is the culmination of the finest, noblest, most distinctive, humane, compassionate, righteous, and progressive values.

Along with its established festivals, consider an International Festival of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Da Nang. Following the merger with Quang Nam in July 2025, Da Nang will possess three World Heritage sites: Hoi An Ancient Town, My Son Sanctuary, and the Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son), creating a heritage city of unprecedented scale and depth.

Amidst this heritage space, an international festival is not just about lights and stages, but a place where the folk memories of the peoples of the region and around the world come alive again, from the rhythmic drumming of the Central Highlands to the Korean lantern dance, from ancient poetry recitation to Then singing and Lam Vong dancing where Hmong artisans sit alongside Laotian artists, and Japanese artisans converse with Quang Nam traditional opera artists… If properly invested in, the festival could become an international cultural brand, recognized within UNESCO's network of creative festivals, as a meeting point in the Asia-Pacific region for the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

A city that "never sleeps" or a city that "wakes up early"?

Many cultural and tourism experts suggest that Vietnam should build "cities that never sleep" to attract tourists, while also arguing that to truly become a "City of Events," Da Nang is lacking one crucial criterion: nighttime entertainment activities. In other words, Da Nang remains among the "cities that go to sleep early," lacking a genuine and standardized "nighttime economy" befitting a "City of Events," festivals, and tourism.

However, from another perspective, despite its characteristic of reaching out to the sea and being the economic center of the Central and Central Highlands regions, Da Nang's pace of life is not overly noisy or chaotic, but rather peaceful and gentle, reflecting the characteristics of the people of Quang Nam province: simple, honest, friendly, open, kind, and hospitable.

While many major cities are focusing on developing "nighttime cities" and "nighttime economies," Da Nang could choose a different path: becoming an "early-waking" city. This would avoid excessive noise and instead focus on a more sustainable lifestyle – living in harmony with natural light, with a natural biological rhythm, and with a culture deeply rooted in mindfulness.

From a cultural perspective, Da Nang can fully develop a "Morning City" strategy with clear implementation axes such as building distinctive tourism products like sunrise tours, morning meditation on the beach, riverside jogging, traditional early morning markets, and art-themed morning coffee spaces; urban design; investing in the development of public spaces for morning activities such as parks and gardens; and promoting the image of "Da Nang - Morning City" as a positive and easily spread urban cultural symbol with slogans like "Welcome the Sunrise with Da Nang," "Da Nang 5AM," etc.

A modern, developed city is not only judged by economic development indicators or nighttime service revenue, but also by the moments and spaces of freshness it offers its residents each day. And if Da Nang can maintain its early-rising spirit – a proactive, profound, kind, and harmonious way of living with nature – then that will be the strongest soft brand the city can spread to the world.

It takes time for a city to become a regional cultural hub – this requires vision, strategy, institutions, resources, and perseverance. Building Da Nang into a cultural center for the region and the country is not just a policy goal, but also a journey to enrich identity, deepen community memories, and create a unique character through internal strength.

A city that knows how to tell its cultural stories in its own unique way is the foundation that prevents it from being swept away, from fading into obscurity, and will also be the most valuable "soft capital" for Da Nang to rise alongside the nation.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/di-san-cong-nghe-va-ban-sac-da-nang-3299559.html