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| Travel blogger Ngo Tran Hai An experiences and learns about the craft of making Hue conical hats while capturing authentic footage |
An ordinary yet captivating view of Hue
Night was beginning to fall, but the vehicle due to pick her up had still not arrived. Traveling alone in Hue during the April 30th - May 1st holiday, Nhu Anh, a girl from Ho Chi Minh City, could not help but feel worried. Just then, a local woman invited her into her home, chatted with her and helped her until she was safely on her way. Nhu Anh captured the touching encounter in a video titled ‘A Muse Lost in Hue and Helped by Local Residents’, which has since attracted around 2,2 million views on social media.
Nhu Anh has posted numerous review videos sharing her impressions of traveling in Hue, but it was her ‘Wandering Muse’ video that achieved the greatest reach. The storytelling approach adopted by the tourist, who is also a Facebook content creator, reflects a new direction in travel reviews: telling the story of a destination through everyday experiences and interactions with local residents. Through the lenses of TikTokers and Facebookers, Hue emerges not only as a heritage city with beautiful scenery and distinctive cuisine, but also as a place where the friendliness of Hue people reveals itself in ordinary moments.
Over the past two to three years, the trend in travel reviews has changed considerably. Digital content creators no longer focus solely on introducing destinations, but have shifted toward telling stories about genuine experiences. Videos and promotional posts on TikTok, Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are highly authentic, sharing detailed itineraries and costs as well as lesser-known local cultural experiences. Alongside positive reviews, shortcomings involving services, prices or conditions at attractions were also mentioned.
Travel blogger Ngo Tran Hai An, a well-known digital content creator, said he has a deep affection for Hue and has spent considerable time experiencing the city and capturing its images and stories in his own way. He said: “Every digital content creator has a different approach to developing a story and choosing camera angles. For me, the focus is on imagery and close-up footage that portrays the people of Hue and delves into their everyday lives, thereby inspiring visitors to travel to Hue”.
One viral video, many changes at a destination
Though they may last only a few dozen seconds to around one minute and 30 seconds, videos featuring attractive visuals, clear information and engaging storytelling can still reach large audiences. This can bring considerable changes to destinations, particularly places featured in reviews.
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| Two foreign visitors experience Hue and film videos reviewing their travels in the city |
Mrs. Hue, a banh loc seller at a street corner on Dao Tan Street in Hue City, said that after TikTokers and Facebookers visited her stall and posted review videos, more tourists, particularly young people, began seeking it out. They discovered the stall through these videos and wanted to experience it themselves while visiting Hue.
While visitors in the past were most familiar with the Imperial Citadel, royal tombs and pagodas, they are now discovering more places beyond the central core of the city. As a result, journeys to explore Hue are also becoming more diverse.
Travel reviews have now become an important source of reference for travelers planning their journeys. However, alongside their promotional effectiveness, the rapid reach of review videos also raises several concerns. A location that suddenly becomes popular may receive more visitors than it can accommodate, creating pressure on traffic, environmental sanitation and the surrounding landscape. At heritage sites, inconsiderate filming and photography, or reducing cultural spaces to mere photo-op locations, are also issues that require attention. Digital content creators therefore need not only provide accurate information, but also guide viewers on appropriate behavior at destinations.
For Hue, authentic and responsible reviews not only bring the city closer to travelers from near and far, but also help preserve the values that shape the distinctive identity of this heritage city.