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| Introducing O Thuc – a Chatbot Ambassador. Photo provided by the writer |
Launched in early October 2023, with the desire to help tourists discover the beauty of Hue’s nature, culture, and locals through cuisine, the young members of the project have carried out various communication activities to enhance the identity of Hue cuisine and promote the culinary culture of the Ancient Capital through various novel approaches.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Thang, Head of the project organizing committee shared that to implement the project, they built up an AI ambassador named “O Thuc Chatbot”, inspired by the images of the Hue ladies with their graceful, subtle, and hardworking beauty. The character serves as a “friend” guiding tourists along their trip to experience Hue culinary tourism. Accordingly, O Thuc Chatbot has provided answers about the cuisine, culture, and tourism of Hue free of charge; at the same time, it has also personalized the answers depending on tourists’ demand. Users can make conversations with O Thuc through the integrated AI Chatbot tool on the website A Food in Hue.
Nearly a month after being launched, O Thuc Chatbot has received considerable support and proactive feedbacks. Especially, the Chatbot has also been used to promote Hue cuisine to Vietnamese and international tourists at various attractions in Hue. With the ability to receive and respond to information in both Vietnamese and English, the tool has helped tourists to be proactive and save their time in searching for dining options in Hue.
A tourist after experiencing “O Thuc Chatbot” shared that exploring Hue cuisine was his goal when deciding to choose Hue as a stop in his trip. Initially, he was so confused in choosing where to visit. However, after being introduced to “O Thuc Chatbot” experience, through the useful suggestions and information provided by this technology, he has had more new choices regarding food and places to visit.
With this app, first-time visitors to Hue will alleviate some of their concerns as they can approach information and experiences on cuisine in a visual manner. At the same time, they can also be provided with personalized support and suggestions based on their demand and hobbies.
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| Promoting Hue cuisine at relic attractions. Photo provided by the writer |
In addition to developing “O Thuc Chatbot”, the project also held a competition called “Eat to the full with O Thuc”, encouraging young people to join in making short videos on Hue cuisine on TikTok; organizing 5 media tours to promote Hue cuisine in Hanoi, Hue City, and Ho Chi Minh City, taking the experience of AI-applied Hue cuisine nationwide. Furthermore, they also introduced Hue cuisine to the contestants of Miss Grand International 2023 when the representatives came to Hanoi for the competition in early October, etc. The project members also held various activities to promote Hue cuisine at many relics in Hue, making Hue cuisine closer to tourists near and far.
“By combining artificial intelligence and knowledge about Hue cuisine, we hope that O Thuc Chatbot will become a reliable “virtual tour guide”, who provides detailed information on food, ingredients, ways to cook, and culinary history of Hue cuisine,” shared Mr. Nguyen Duc Thang, Head of the project organizing committee.