LEVERAGING CLASSICAL VIETNAMESE LITERATURE AS A CULTURAL TOURISM RESOURCE: CASE STUDY OF THE TALE OF KIEU BY NGUYEN DU

Abstract

In the context of the tourism industry’s growing tendency to seek distinctive cultural resources, the approach of treating classical literary works as a form of cultural tourism asset has increasingly attracted the attention of scholars and policy makers. The Tale of Kieu by Nguyen Du, a masterpiece of pre-modern Vietnamese literature, possesses not only outstanding literary value but also serves as a repository of cultural symbols, moral ideals, and national identity. This study approaches The Tale of Kieu as a literary heritage endowed with the potential to be developed into a distinctive cultural tourism product. Drawing on interdisciplinary methods from cultural and tourism studies, it proposes several directions for integrating The Tale of Kieu into contemporary tourism practices, including the creation of thematic travel routes following the footsteps of its characters, the organization of Kieu recitation performances, the musealization of Kieu’s narrative space, and the application of digital technologies. These proposals aim to forge a profound connection between literary heritage and contemporary life, thereby enriching the portfolio of culturally distinctive tourism products in Vietnam.