Hanoi (VNA) – As integration and the digital revolution change the way of life, more parts of daily life are shifting online. Performing art organisations are joining in, adopting digital tools from online ticketing to unified portals that offer information, data, and services.
The shift highlights how technology is opening up new avenues for the development of the performing arts while bringing them closer to audiences.
Changing the way audiences are reached
People's Artist Tong Toan Thang, Director of the Vietnam Circus Federation, said the federation had recently worked with VTC Corporation to launch an online ticketing platform for performances at the central circus through its website, xiecvietnam.vn.
Audiences today, particularly young people and families with young children, want to check performance schedules, choose their seats, make payments and receive tickets quickly on their mobile phones. Technology makes the process more convenient, while also helping the federation better understand audience preferences and organise programmes that meet their needs.
“This is not simply an innovation in ticket sales, but also part of the process of building the Vietnam Circus Federation into a modern and professional organisation and bringing circus arts closer to the public,” Thang said.
Previously, in June, the Vietnam National Traditional Theatre, in cooperation with Artech technology company, launched an online portal dedicated to traditional performing arts, together with an online ticketing system, at sktt.vn.
According to People's Artist Le Tuan Cuong, deputy director in charge of the theatre, the launch of the portal and online ticketing system is a concrete step towards implementing the Politburo's Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture. It is also an important solution to addressing the fragmentation of information and archival materials relating to traditional performing arts.
Digital transformation creates room for growth
Every visit to a website, programme selection, seat choice and successful transaction contributes to a growing body of audience data. This enables arts institutions to track audience demand, seat occupancy for individual performances, the appeal of different types of programmes and seating preferences.
When properly managed and analysed, such data can provide an important basis for developing performance schedules, refining communications strategies, improving services and designing products that better match market demand.
Thang noted that some circus productions could only be staged in Hanoi. However, if their content are developed for the digital space, they could reach a much larger audience. Performances could also be filmed from multiple angles, offering viewers a new and more comprehensive experience.
The artist is confident that the circus sector possesses a vast archive and an “ocean of content” with considerable potential. From performances and circus programmes to artists' training sessions and intriguing behind-the-scenes stories, there is a wealth of material that, if properly developed and presented, could attract audiences on social media.
Digital content can therefore not only help spread the appeal of the arts, but also generate additional revenue for arts institutions and establish a reliable platform where audiences can discover and enjoy Vietnamese circus.
According to Thang, digital transformation is not simply about putting a few videos online. It involves changing the way the arts are organised, produced, promoted, and its value harnessed.
As digital transformation accelerates, collaboration between technology companies and arts institutions are set to play a bigger role. Digital tools can boost efficiency and open up more ways for audiences to connect with the arts. They also help share cultural values with more people, adapt to an increasingly digital society, and support the sustainable growth of Vietnam’s cultural industries.
The Government is stepping up efforts to implement Politburo Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, dated December 22, 2024, on breakthrough development in science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation. At the same time, Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW on the development of Vietnamese culture sets out the goal of accelerating digital transformation in the cultural and arts sectors.
The growing adoption of technology by arts institutions is therefore opening up a new path for the performing arts, enabling them to reach a broader range of audiences, particularly young people who are increasingly accustomed to digital technology./.
