Biography of the Sai Gon River VR Storytelling Pilot

This pilot project asks the question of how can new media, digital poetry, and creative archives be used to engage the community in urban revitalization projects. Through VR as a method of archiving/describing reality, the project team wants to create an immersive presentation of history and locality, aimed both at local and international (potential tourist) viewers. ​

The written research output will expand the global insight into local communities in Vietnam. This will help communicate the Vietnamese's societal needs and draw further research directions for international and local researchers. The research findings will be exhibited as a short (5-6 minutes) VR film that will depict one day from the Kenh Te Canal's life, observed through a local's eyes. The recording of memories and observations will be further framed by the touch of digital poetry and completed by the historical archive materials – such as maps and photos. The impact of this project involves building community resilience and sustainability for HCMC's COVID-19 recovery and future riverside urban developments.​

Moreover, the application of this pilot will introduce the potential of virtual reality for non-entertaining purposes, such as preserving the local identity. VR art exhibited in public spaces is still a novelty in Vietnam and needs promotion. Moreover, using VR for communicating research provides the opportunity to introduce evidence-based, highly immersive education about locality. This way of knowledge transfer is more efficient and inspiring for the audience. This project will allow the local communities to engage with the newest technologies.