The museum and RMIT University Vietnam's Hanoi campus held a trial programme on September 21 for students in the capital as part of the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026.
The initiative, titled 'Touch-Play-Understand: Exploring Heritage through Creative Experiences', uses technology to offer visitors new ways to engage with museum artefacts and their stories.
The project began in 2025, when the museum and RMIT released the book Mot thoi va mai mai, featuring stories and digitised 3D images of a range of historical artefacts.
This year, the partners have expanded the project to include jigsaw and matching games, an AI-powered question-and-answer tool and miniature 3D-printed replicas that can be turned into keyrings for visitors.
Ondris Pui, a lecturer and project representative at RMIT's Hanoi campus, said younger generations had grown up in a digital environment and museums needed new ways to spark their interest in cultural heritage.
He added that 3D-printed keyrings could be paired with QR codes allowing visitors to learn more about an artefact anywhere rather than only at the museum.
The 3D-printing experience drew particular interest from students. Duong Trang Anh, a student at the Vietnam Women's Academy, said combining museum collections with a technology already popular among young people could make heritage more engaging.
According to Le Cam Nhung, head of external communications at the Vietnamese Women's Museum, the museum was already using digital technology in collection management, exhibitions and educational activities.
Alongside traditional storytelling and guided tours, it has introduced audio guides and 3D mapping to provide more personalised visitor experiences.
Nhung said technology was intended to support, rather than replace, the stories behind museum objects, with heritage education a key focus in attracting younger visitors from Vietnam and overseas.
The museum is also developing a 'Heritage Kit', a series of interactive activities built around three stages - touch, play and understand.
The completed kit is expected to be unveiled at the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2026 in November, offering visitors new ways to explore cultural heritage through digital technology.
