Bringing history closer to students
At A Luoi Ethnic Boarding Secondary School in A Luoi 2 Commune, the project “From cultural essence to the sacred spirit of the history of ethnic communities in A Luoi through digital space” by a group of students, including Ho Tan Tu Tu, Ho Tran Nhu Nguyet, and Nguyen Bao Tung Duong, has attracted attention for its innovative approach. Rather than studying history through traditional methods, the team created a multimedia digital platform that recreates the culture and history of ethnic communities in the A Luoi highlands, including the Pa Co, Ta Oi, and Co Tu peoples, through images, videos, audio recordings, e-books, virtual museum, and VR360 technology.
With only an internet-connected device, users can explore traditional festivals, handicrafts, folk musical instruments, and revolutionary historical sites in A Luoi. To enhance engagement, the team also developed interactive games, Padlet-based digital journals, and online experiential learning activities. History is no longer a dry subject but has become a vivid journey of discovery.
Le Thi Hoai Thanh, the teacher who directly supervised the project, shared that village elders and community leaders are aging, while many cultural values face the risk of being lost. Digitizing these resources and bringing them into the digital space is therefore essential to preserving the living cultural heritage of A Luoi’s highland communities.
Thanks to its creativity and strong practical application, the project won First Prize in the Information Technology Software category at the 2026 Hue City Youth and Children's Innovation Contest. The achievement not only recognizes the efforts of the student team but also demonstrates the potential of digital technology in preserving ethnic cultural heritage.
When the Pa Co language is present in the digital space
One of the project’s most notable strengths is its multilingual e-book system, designed in Vietnamese, English, and especially Pa Co - the native language of students in the A Luoi highlands. This feature carries significant value, not only by helping students access learning materials more easily, but also by contributing to the preservation of the language and cultural identity of this ethnic minority community.
Ho Tan Tu Tu, a member of the project team, shared: “When the festivals and cultural and historical sites of my community are introduced in the digital space using the Pa Co language, I feel extremely proud and happy. I am glad that my friends and I can make a small contribution to preserving and safeguarding the cultural and historical values of our people.” According to Tu, the experience has deepened his appreciation for his mother tongue and strengthened his sense of responsibility for preserving his ethnic heritage.
The project’s primary goal is to collect, digitize, and systematically organize the distinctive cultural and historical values of the ethnic communities in A Luoi, creating a digital repository for educational purposes and for promoting local culture. The website has already attracted users from many provinces and cities across Vietnam, as well as from abroad, helping bring A Luoi’s cultural image to a wider online audience.
Amid the rapid pace of digital transformation, the fact that students from a mountainous region proactively using modern technology to tell the story of their homeland carries special significance. It is not merely a scientific and technological innovation; it is also a journey to preserve community memories through the perspective of a younger generation.