Tourists visiting HCMC from November can scan a quick response code (QR code) to gain all information, images and videos about tourist attractions such as the Central Post Office, Saigon Opera House and Ben Thanh Market in the city.
Foreign tourists look at handbags in the Central Post Office in HCMC
A source from the HCMC Department of Tourism stated that the department will conduct a QR code scanning pilot program at 20 tourist sites in the city, mainly free of charge.
There will be a separate QR code for each tourist attraction, so all relevant details will appear when visitors use their smartphones to scan their codes. When a code is scanned, a list of tourist sites appears, making it easy for tourists to plan their next site visit in HCMC.
Nguyen Thi Thanh Thao, head of the Information Technology Division under the HCMC Department of Tourism, said that the QR code concept was the best solution for travelers to the city who are not accompanied by a tour guide.
Tourists often access the internet for information related to popular sites such as Ben Thanh Market or Mong Bridge and find it difficult to gauge whether the information is correct. Thus, getting accurate information will become more convenient with the QR codes. Besides this, tourists will learn about the interiors of some sites that they cannot enter.
“The department is working with application writers to conduct the pilot program in November,” Thao said, adding that the program is scheduled to cover all tourist attractions citywide at the start of 2019.
The program is part of HCMC’s smart-tourism development strategy. The department had earlier launched an application running on Android and IOS operating systems in two languages, English and Vietnamese, allowing tourists to look for information on the city’s tourism attractions.