The provincial-level scientific project on application of VR technology in touring the Son La Prison special national relic site was implemented from May 2022 to December 2023 by the University of Information and Communications Technology under the Thai Nguyen University.

The entire landscape of Son La Prison, evidence, artifacts, documents, historical figures, prisoners of war, prison guards, structures, prison buildings, guard towers are all modeled with 3D technology. The model helps recreate and restore the site during the resistance war against the French through four phases: the construction (1907-1908), the expansion, the bombardment by the French colonialists, and the current recovery and renovation.

Nguyen Dinh Khuong, an official in charge of information technology at the provincial Museum and a member of the project's management board, said that the 3D model helps recreate the entire intact image of the prison from its construction to today as well as the daily activities of political prisoners and the cruel torture by invaders at Son La Prison.

The project includes virtual monument tour software with a virtual tour on PC and another through display and interaction of artifacts on 3D web. The tour is built sequentially in stages, with colourful and vivid 3D images and automatic narration, helping viewers visualize the intact prison, the activities here, and the renovation process to better understand this historical site.

During the implementation process, the project's management board organised two seminars to receive comments and suggestions from experts, managers, historical witnesses, and museum staff. It also collected feedback from officials, visitors and students on the software. Most people praised its usability features, friendly interface, and clear, complete and logical information and images. Artifact models and recreated scenes ensure graphic quality.

Ngo Thi Hai Yen, Director of the provincial Museum, said that the software is to carry out the task of digital transformation and digitisation of heritage of the museum. It is a source of complete and official historical information and data for visitors, serving dissemination and education of revolutionary traditions for today's generation. At the same time, this is also an important solution to preserve and promote the value of the relic site and serve tourists when coming to the provincial Museum in the coming time.

At the end of 2023, the project was completed and accepted, and experienced a trial run. The museum also organised training for its staff on how to use and operate the software. Currently, the software is being integrated on the website of the provincial Museum at http://baotangsonla.vn/ in the form of the banner "Digitising Son La Prison relic site". (Readers who want to experience the software, please click on the link:  https://baotangsonla.vn/3dnhatusonla/index.html > click on the "virtual tour" function to start the tour of the relic site with VR technology).

Visitors can experience visiting the relic site with 3D images featuring the prison’s space, architecture and artifacts, and some 3D videos recreating the activities at the prison in the past. The software put into operation on the 3D website has helped increase visits to the provincial Museum's website. Since the beginning of the year, there have been nearly 20,000 visits each month on average.

Quang Van Duy from Chieng An ward, Son La city, shared that “Many items at Son La Prison have been destroyed by bombs and bullets. When visiting the site in reality, it was difficult for us to imagine the architecture of the prison when it was still intact. So when we take a virtual tour using the 3D model on the provincial Museum's website, we gain a more complete picture. Especially the videos about the imprisonment and torture of revolutionary soldiers are very vivid. We hope to fully experience this tour in the near future when there is a 3D projection room to better understand the history of the relic site.

The provincial Museum is currently coordinating with the project developer to install and operate the software, adding new functions in accordance with actual requirements. Ngo Thi Hai Yen, Director of the provincial Museum, further said that “This is valuable software that benefits the preservation and promotion of the value of the relic site in today's digital technology era. Therefore, we hope that the province will soon approve a plan to invest in a VR technology projection room to ensure the effective operation of the software.”

Over time, historical relics in particular and tangible cultural heritage in general will inevitably be damaged and degraded by the impact of weather, climate and environment. Therefore, digitising heritage is a practical and effective new technological solution to help "revive" historical relic sites in the current era. The tour of Son La Prison special national relic site using VR technology is a good solution to help preserve and promote the value of the relic site in a sustainable way.