The Geopolitical and Socioeconomic Factors of Digitization in Vietnam: Technology Adoption in the Art and Cultural Sector During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract This paper argues that there is an emergent digital culture in the art and cultural sector in Hanoi, which is producing a paradigm shift in the nature of work for cultural professionals, the way of preserving and displaying art collections, as well as the nature of international connections. The advent of the “fourth industrial revolution” in Vietnam has brought about advances in digitization. While this transition is crucial in achieving national sustainable development goals, Vietnam remains at a disadvantage on a global scale due to country-specific challenges in digitization that include lack of human, technical, and financial resources. These challenges are hindering the pace and quality of the digitization process and impeding the ability of cultural professionals to utilize digital platforms. In addition, the global digital divide is having impacts on access, inclusion, and representation. This shows that the challenges faced in the digitization process are not only about access to technology but also about much more deep-seated issues related to culture, history, and social inequalities. This is especially pertinent during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has highlighted inequalities in access and inclusion. The research draws on 20 semi-structured interviews with cultural professionals across Hanoi. The interviews were carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic and addressed its impact on digitization projects and the use of digital technologies for work. The findings show how geopolitical and socioeconomic factors can suppress the ability to adopt new digital technologies, which is hindering the ability to exploit the opportunities of digitization. Yet, the Covid-19 pandemic has allowed more time to focus on digitization projects and to utilize digital tools and platforms, especially with free open-source software or platforms such as Facebook. This has become one route toward exploiting the opportunities of digitization for increased exposure, creation of digital resources, and rebalancing the discourse and amount of content circulating online regarding Vietnamese art and culture.