Vy Doan is a senior at Duke Kunshan University, majoring in Digital Media Arts. “HeritageAR”, as part of her undergraduate innovation and entrepreneurship project, aims to create an interactive narrative game based on augmented reality technology for the Imperial City of Huế in Vietnam.
According to Dr. Li Fang, the Assistant Director for DKU Innovation Incubator, the initial team for the project consisted mainly of local Vietnamese university students. During the project, the uncertainty of online communication and technical challenges left them breathless with anxiety, but with Ivy’s professional insight, extensive design experience, and deep empathy for the culture of her hometown, emerging into the Dii project, it will certainly transcend time and place.
Origin of Fate
When mentioning Huế, nine out of ten Vietnamese people will talk about the famous Huế Imperial City. In Vietnamese, the translation for Huế Imperial City is “the Forbidden City,” similar to the Chinese translation for the Forbidden City in Beijing. Over the centuries, Huế has served not only as the palace for several dynasties but also as the political, economic, and cultural center of Vietnam.
The Huế Imperial City is Vietnam’s first cultural heritage site to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It possesses a strong style reminiscent of the traditional capitals of the Central Vietnamese dynasties. After the arrival of French colonialists, it was also deeply influenced by French architectural styles, becoming one of the most spectacular architectural complexes in the Central and South Vietnam Peninsula.
Like many compatriots who love traditional Vietnamese culture, Ivy visited the Huế Imperial City during her high school years. Walking through the storms of history, most of the once magnificent palaces and buildings are now in ruins. Although Ivy could only imagine the grandeur of the ancient city through tour guides’ commentary and the crumbling walls of palace foundations, she still felt a strong connection to the ancient city. The distinctive roofs that blend Central Vietnamese and local architectural styles extend out, symbolizing the unbroken spiritual bond she shares with her homeland.
How to Awaken a Sleeping City
After that visit, it seemed that Ivy had lost touch with the ancient city and returned to the bustling and modern Ho Chi Minh City to continue her studies. Subsequently, she graduated from one of Vietnam’s leading high schools, successfully applied to Duke Kunshan University, and became a member of the university’s third undergraduate cohort, situated in China and closely integrating Eastern and Western cultures.
In Ivy’s spare time from studies, she revisited the Imperial City several times. Just like the protective moat surrounding the ancient city, the life there also remained undisturbed, over the millennia. However, what disappointed her was that while tourists crowded the beaches of Danang and flocked to Hoi An, their interest in the Huế Imperial City was lukewarm. The management authorities had also made efforts; in 2019, they introduced VR tours from South Korea. In just a few minutes, visitors could transform into birds from the later Nguyen Dynasty, flying through the streets and alleys of the ancient capital, overlooking the city’s prosperity from the glazed tile roofs. It was indeed a significant selling point, entertaining but, like dew on morning leaves, left no lasting impression on their minds.
Is there a narrative approach beyond guided explanations and VR tours? At that time, Ivy wasn’t certain, but she firmly believed that there would be. The innovation brought about by future narrative methods would be as grand as the changes the ochre-colored buildings in the ancient city once brought to the land.
When Technology Meets Culture
In the first half of this year, Ivy spent a semester on the picturesque campus of Duke University in the United States. As a discipline established almost simultaneously with the founding of Duke, the art program at Duke is robust, and the media arts curriculum is quite comprehensive. With a keen interest in cutting-edge media technology, Ivy naturally chose three advanced applied courses closely related to her field: “Urban Visualization: Representing Cityscapes, Culture, and Environment,” “Fundamentals of Game Design,” and “3D Modeling and Animation.” The “Urban Visualization” course required students to explore the nearby city of Durham, USA, attempting to showcase the rich landscapes, historical heritage, and future possibilities of the city using innovative technological means. So, in countless spare moments, Ivy and her classmates crossed ancient stone walls, passed signs bearing “Duke University,” and left their mark in this historically rich small town. The “Fundamentals of Game Design” not only provided Ivy with a solid theoretical foundation but also ample practical opportunities. She learned to design original interactive games, adjust and upgrade systems based on user experience, and evaluate the quality of games. “3D Modeling and Animation” equipped Ivy with various modeling and animation techniques, providing tools for her creative expression.
Through emerging technologies like VR, AR, and 3D cities, James Duke, sitting in the center of Duke’s East Campus, could once again present the tobacco empire that he had built with his own hands to visitors from afar with the magical touch of technology. This made Ivy think of the Imperial City, which, despite having many stories, was still waiting for someone to tell them. In March, just past the halfway point of the semester, Ivy was already eager to turn this dreamy and vast future into reality, injecting a strong dose of vitality into the cultural pulse that connects the past and present.
Coincidentally, the DKU Innovation Incubator was actively recruiting student project teams for the upcoming year. Despite the fact that Ivy’s project was still in its infancy in her mind, she submitted her application materials before the deadline. Perhaps the judges recognized the potential of the project, or maybe they were moved by Ivy’s irresistible sincerity behind it. After the review and defense process, Ivy successfully made the cut.
Delicate light signals connected the two sides of the ocean, and Ivy continued her studies while occasionally engaging in video conversations with mentors from the innovation incubator to seek inspiration for taking the first steps. As a “city person,” she already had a sufficient understanding of the city. However, as an “outsider,” she needed some ideas about starting the first steps—after all, finding innovative solutions for the cultural symbol of Huế required a diversity of ideas.
After returning to her hometown, Ivy, armed with preliminary ideas and the support of the innovation incubator, reached out to her high school friends. After sharing her ideas with them, the like-minded group of peers quickly joined forces. This was a project that required on-site integration, so Ivy hoped the local team members could provide real-time updates. During the summer, the Huế Monument Conservation Center in Vietnam happened to open an internship opportunity specifically for college students, allowing them to delve into the intricacies of the ancient city’s preservation efforts. Everything fell into place so perfectly.
The Continuing Project
Ivy devoted almost the entire summer vacation to the streets and alleys of the ancient city. The basic plan she formulated was to create an augmented reality-based simulation city game, encouraging visitors to “move around” in the game, allowing them to step into the ancient city and listen to its touching stories. She aimed to focus on one or several prosperous periods in history, reconstructing the living environments and conditions of different areas and social classes in the city. Her goal was not merely to create a fleeting short video but to provide a comprehensive experience. Ivy hoped that this narrative would not only prompt people to slow down and contemplate the grand history but also withstand scrutiny and appreciation as people paused to observe and savor it.
When the surrounding environment is filled with anxiety and confusion about the future direction, Ivy can still face the unknown future with such calm and confidence. Rather than attributing this to the luck of being understood and supported, it seems more accurate to say it stems from her unwavering determination from the very beginning to the end.
In fact, there was still one question left on the interview question list: “Why did you choose to start a project in your senior year that might not be completed within a year?” However, before saying goodbye, the question was never raised. The unwavering determination revealed in every word and action rendered the question somewhat irrelevant.
I still remember the day we met: Ivy was dressed in all blue, resembling a qipao at first glance, but with a long robe on top and pants below, clearly not the typical attire for women in China. As our conversation concluded, I asked her if this was traditional Vietnamese clothing. She affirmed the assumption and explained that it was the Ao Dai, the national costume of Vietnam. Even before I knew her, I often saw her on campus wearing Ao Dai. She had several Ao Dai pieces in her wardrobe and would choose to wear one every week. In her view, there was nothing particularly special about it; “Wearing Ao Dai is to showcase our country’s culture, and of course, it looks beautiful, doesn’t it?” she said.
Modern Ao Dai is a fusion of traditional Vietnamese and Western clothing, symbolizing the country’s evolution towards modernity. Huế happens to be the birthplace of Ao Dai, and annually, the city hosts significant Ao Dai festivals showcasing the latest designs. Ivy sincerely hopes that her project can, like Ao Dai, blend Eastern and Western cultures and stand the test of time. She also looks forward to engaging with more members from different disciplines and cultural backgrounds, sparking more vitality and innovation through diverse knowledge structures and perspectives. Together, they aim to create culturally significant products that resonate in the era of globalization.
Beyond the interview, I made a promise to visit Huế with her in the future. I genuinely wish her project the best and hope it meets the public sooner rather than later.
