Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched the Vietnam Digital Culture Map (CMAP) at cmap.vn on the evening of 1 November at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi, VnExpress reported. The platform lists 391 events nationwide and gathers information on heritage sites, museums, festivals and cultural activities. It was built to support the first Vietnam Culture Day on 24 November.

What CMAP does

KBVN+ summarises its main features:

  • Search programmes and events by location, date or theme.
  • Locate cultural activities near the user to plan visits.
  • Provide information on incentives and cultural and tourism services.
  • Organise data geographically so authorities can track local events and cultural resources.
  • Give cultural organisations a channel to promote programmes and products.

The minister's hopes

Minister Lam Thi Phuong Thanh said at the launch that she hoped the map would give the public more chances to visit heritage sites, theatres and craft villages and meet artisans, opening opportunities for cultural industries, tourism and community livelihoods. She asked localities and cultural units to keep the information accurate and up to date, and told the operator to listen to users and make the platform easy to search and useful.

How to use it

For residents and tourists, CMAP can serve as a first stop when planning a weekend outing or a trip: pick a province or city, or use your current location, to see upcoming festivals, exhibitions and performances. In late November, when many activities are expected around Vietnam Culture Day, it may be a handy way to find local events. Its usefulness will depend on whether localities keep updating it, a point the minister herself stressed.

What comes next

The ministry says it will keep standardising data, adding features and connecting CMAP with other digital platforms, including the VNeID electronic identification system. Keeping it current will require coordination among ministries, localities and cultural units. The next milestone is the first Vietnam Culture Day on 24 November.