Vietnam Launches Digital Culture Map for Youth
Vietnam has launched an interactive digital culture map called CMAP, helping young explorers discover historical sites, art shows, and festivals online.
Have you ever wished you could travel across an entire country to explore ancient temples, colourful art shows, and folk festivals from your home? On the evening of 1 November 2026, the Vietnam digital culture map turned that dream into reality for students and curious explorers everywhere.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially launched this brand-new interactive website, known simply as CMAP, in the capital city of Hanoi. The special launch ceremony took place at the historic Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam, a famous special national relic site also known as the Temple of Literature – National University.
What happened?
The colourful evening ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Lam Thi Phuong Thanh. She warmly invited citizens, students, and young people to explore their nation’s rich heritage through this new online tool. Guests at the venue also enjoyed a special digital art performance programme titled “Tinh hoa dao hoc”, which translates to the “Essence of Education”.
The platform was created under the guidance of the Vietnamese government’s Directive 35. This directive was created to modernise cultural data systems and encourage more public participation in the arts and creative activities. Anyone with an internet connection can now visit the interactive platform publicly at the web address cmap.vn.
Right on its launch day, the CMAP system catalogued 391 cultural, artistic, and sporting events happening across all 34 provinces and cities throughout the country. Out of these listings, 33 major events are organised directly by national cultural institutions under the Ministry to celebrate Vietnam Culture Day on 24 November.
The website acts as a centralised digital database that brings together all kinds of creative treasures. It covers historical monuments, museums, traditional craft villages, performing arts theatres, and community festivals in one single place. Curious learners can filter and explore cultural activities in real time by their geographical location, specific dates, or curated artistic themes. It even offers updated details on ticket information, exhibition schedules, visitor services, and experiential learning routes.
Why does it matter to you?
Learning about history and the arts does not have to mean reading dry lists from an old textbook. This interactive digital map turns exploring art, ancient monuments, and folk festivals into a virtual treasure hunt you can enjoy from any computer or tablet screen. It demonstrates how modern technology can bring ancient stories, museums, and traditions alive for the younger generation.
For school students in India, this project provides a wonderful example of how our own country could celebrate its vibrant heritage. Imagine opening an app or website to trace folk dances, local puppet shows, and ancient temples across different Indian states in real time! Looking at projects like CMAP can inspire children everywhere to discover artistic wonders, craft traditions, and historical sites right in their own neighbourhoods.
Words to know
- Heritage: the traditions, monuments, arts, and historic places passed down to us from past generations.
- Interactive: a digital programme or screen that responds quickly whenever a user taps, clicks, or enters information.
- Centralised database: a single digital storage space where a large collection of organised information is safely kept.
- Experiential: learning by doing, observing, or taking part in an activity rather than just reading about it.
- Directive: an official order or instruction issued by a government authority to guide important work.
Did you know?
The launch site, Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam in Hanoi, was founded way back in the eleventh century and is honoured as Vietnam’s very first national university!
Think about it
If you could build a digital culture map for your home town or state in India, which three historical sites or folk festivals would you add first? How can computers and smartphones help young people stay connected to their traditional arts?
Quick quiz
What is the name of Vietnam’s new digital culture map platform?
- CMAP
- VMAP
- KIDSMAP
See the answer
CMAP
Sources
This story was prepared by the Kids Gazette news desk with the help of AI research and writing tools, using the sources listed above.
