Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City are reviewing a plan to transform the city’s museums into ‘smart museums’ through the use of smart system interfaces that can act as demonstrators, with officials preparing to visit Cambodia to learn from the neighboring country’s experience.

The ‘smart museum’ model will be carried out at current establishments across the southern hub, delegates stated during a working session with the municipal People’s Committee on Wednesday.

Present at the meeting was Dr. Tran Minh Triet, deputy head of the Software Engineering Department under the Ho Chi Minh City University of Science, who stated that his research team could be an important asset to the project.

With the new model, visitors will be able to use special interfaces to search for information, pictures, and videos related to exhibits throughout each facility without the need for a guide.

Data for each exhibit will be stored within each museum’s smart system and easily accessible with only a few simple touches, Dr. Triet elaborated.

The new technology will also offer the remote exhibition of artifacts by providing miniature images, minimizing the risk of damage to fragile objects from transportation.

Special photo backgrounds created for the applications will allow museum visitors to relive special moments relating to different historical pieces within each museum, the academic explained.

According to a representative of the municipal Department of Tourism, the smart model will first be piloted at the Southern Women’s Museum in District 3 and the Cu Chi Tunnels in the namesake district during the first quarter of 2017, before being adopted at other museums across the city.

Private museums and major historical sites may also be considered for the new technolgy, Nguyen Van Minh, deputy director of the city’s Department of Culture and Sports, stated.

“A delegation of researchers will be sent to a smart museum in Cambodia to study the technology used,” Minh continued.

Concluding the working session, vice-chairman of the city’s administration Tran Vinh Tuyen requested that relevant agencies work with research teams from the University of Science to execute the plan as soon as possible.

He also asked the Department of Finance and the Department of Accounting with evaluating the project and mobilizing a suitable source of investment.