Clothing, names, a cup of tea, or a familiar ritual may seem like ordinary elements of everyday life, yet each carries layers of history behind it. In tourism, these details can become powerful materials for creating distinctive experiences – when they are properly researched, interpreted, and communicated.
Researcher Tran Quang Duc will join HORECFEX VIETNAM 2026 with the perspective of a scholar who has spent many years exploring Vietnamese cultural history, language, and thought.
Trained in Sinology at Peking University, he previously worked at the Institute of Literature before becoming an independent researcher. Over the years, he has developed a number of works that help the public approach Vietnamese culture through familiar subjects that have rarely been examined in a systematic way.
Ngàn Năm Áo Mũ takes readers through the history of Vietnamese clothing from 1010 to 1945. Chuyện Trà traces the long history of one of the country’s most familiar beverages, while Họ và Tên explores Vietnamese identity through the evolution of surnames and given names across different periods. These works demonstrate that culture is not something distant or abstract, but something deeply embedded in everyday life.
For the hospitality industry, this approach raises an important question: are we presenting Vietnamese culture to travelers through familiar symbols alone, or are we genuinely helping them understand the stories and meanings behind those symbols?
Hotels can incorporate traditional elements into architecture, cuisine, uniforms, service rituals, or guest activities. However, without a strong foundation of cultural understanding, tradition can easily be reduced to decoration. When heritage is properly researched and interpreted, on the other hand, it can become a source of inspiration for businesses to create distinctive products, evoke emotion, and help travelers connect more deeply with a destination.
This is also what makes Tran Quang Duc’s session especially relevant for professionals working in hotels, tourism, F&B, destination development, and content creation. Participants will not only gain deeper historical knowledge, but may also discover new materials and perspectives for telling the story of Vietnam through contemporary products and experiences.
In a market where many destinations may offer similar standards of comfort and convenience, identity is one of the hardest things to replicate. And turning identity into value begins with truly understanding what we already have.