KOREA FOUNDATION

ACH REVIEW 2

Exploring ASEAN World Heritage Sites with 3D VR

The ASEAN Culture House has reopened its virtual reality(VR) experience center that digitally recreates ASEAN’s World Heritage Sites. The VR experience center had been available for visitors to remotely experience World Heritage Sites from the ten ASEAN countries, but it was temporarily closed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In celebration of the reopening, the ACH has released new virtual content, including two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Sukhothai Historical Park in Thailand and the Tomb of Khải Định in Viet Nam.

Thailand’s Sukhothai Historical Park, which was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1991, comprises the remains of twenty one historical sites, the largest being the Wat Maha that Temple. Altogether, the park and its temples stand at what was once the royal palace in the center of the ancient Sukhothai Kingdom. Wat Maha that, the principle feature of this historical park, was built by Sukhothai’s first king, and is famous for its unique pagoda shaped like a lotus bud, and for allegedly being the resting place of the Buddha’s relics.In Viet Nam, the Tomb of Khải Định, established in the early 20th century, boasts lavish decorations of stained glass, porcelain, and a gilded bronze statue of Emperor Khải Định. The site demonstrates an exquisite blend of Vietnamese and Western architectural styles. Located in the Complex of HuếMonuments, the Tomb of Khải Địnhwas built to honor the twelfth ruler of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last dynasty of Viet Nam. The entire complex was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, along with the Imperial City of Huế.

Starting in September, virtual locations from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Singapore will also be released sequentially.

These new virtual travel sites were first unveiled at the ASEAN Pavilion during Expo 2020 Dubai with a highly positive reception from visitors. With state-of-the-art digital equipment, including VR, 3D scanning, and interactive media technology, the center presents viewers with a chance to explore mesmerizing locales without leaving home. To maximize our visitors’ experience on their digital journeys to ASEAN, the ASEAN Culture House is equipped with Oculus Quest 2, a cutting-edge device for viewing new immersive content.