Information on PhD thesis of PhD student Tran Tuyen: Factors affecting the intention to use virtual reality technology of tourists and tourism businesses in Ho Chi Minh City.

                                                         INFORMATION ABOUT DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name of PhD student: Tran Tuyen 2. Gender: Male

3. Date of birth: June 28, 1997 4. Place of birth: Tien Giang

5. Decision to recognize graduate students:

Decision No. 2949/2021/QD-XHNV-DT dated December 28, 2021 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

6. Changes in training process (if any):

Decision to change the topic name No. 2757/QD-XHNV dated September 28, 2022 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

Decision to change the topic name No. 3930/QD-XHNV dated August 6, 2024 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

7. Thesis topic: Factors affecting the intention to use virtual reality technology of tourists and tourism businesses in Ho Chi Minh City.

8. Major: Tourism 9. Code: 9810101.01 

10. Scientific instructor:

1. Assoc.Prof.Dr. Nguyen Thi Van Hanh - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh National University

2. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy - School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

11. Summary of new results of the thesis:

The general objective of the study is to evaluate the factors affecting the intention to use virtual reality technology of tourists and tourism businesses in order to provide a scientific basis to orient the use of virtual reality technology in tourism activities in the context of this technology starting to develop in Vietnam.

Qualitative research methods used: semi-systematic review, expert interviews, focus group discussions with subjects.

For quantitative research, the method Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis based on partial least squares approach (PLS-SEM) was selected as the approach for the outcome measurement model (reflective). Data were entered and analyzed descriptive statistics using SPSS software and structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis based on PLS-SEM approach using SmartPLS 4.0 software.

The official quantitative research results were conducted with 450 domestic tourists and representatives of 260 travel businesses in Ho Chi Minh City selected through the convenience sampling method. After evaluating the resulting measurement model, 13 hypotheses of the scale for tourists and 09 hypotheses of the scale for businesses were tested using the bootstrap method with a capacity of 10,000 observations.

For tourists, there are 09 hypotheses supported by the data at the 1% or 5% significance level and 04 hypotheses rejected (H10, H11, H12, H13) at the 5% significance level. The main results are as follows:

• Visitors' perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of virtual reality technology are positively influenced by user optimism and innovativeness.

• Discomfort and uncertainty did not have a statistically significant impact on visitors' perceptions of the ease of use and usefulness of virtual reality technology.

• Tourists’ optimism and innovativeness have positive impacts on their perception of virtual reality technology. Therefore, selecting potential customers and identifying the target audience for virtual reality technology should be considered because this is not a mass tourism product but a specific type of tourism.

For tourism businesses, there are 08 hypotheses supported by the data at the 1% or 5% significance level and 01 hypothesis rejected (H3) at the 5% significance level. The main results are as follows:

• Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have positive effects on the intention to use virtual reality technology of travel agency representatives in a fairly similar manner.

• These perceptions are positively impacted by technological improvements, business readiness, and external environmental incentives (government, policy, tourism business environment, etc.).

• Technological improvements have the most prominent impact on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, followed by firm readiness and external environmental incentives.

The above research results contribute to the process of designing and implementing tourism management policies, business administration and product supply orientation for tourists to continue developing appropriate virtual reality technology in the context of increasing technology application in tourism, innovation and development of smart tourism and sustainable tourism.

In addition to the theoretical and practical contributions, there are certain limitations in this study that have been pointed out to evaluate the research results objectively and appropriately. The topic also suggests some further research directions for the topic of virtual reality technology in tourism in Vietnam.

12. Further research directions:

Some further research directions are also suggested such as: It is necessary to continue to explore specific user experiences after using virtual reality technology such as realism, flow, emotion, hedonic happiness, etc. in the virtual world; Research on virtual reality technology should be conducted separately for each type of technology and their applications; A longitudinal study should be designed for the intention and behavior of using virtual reality technology at different times, etc.

13. Publications related to the thesis:

1. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2021), “Virtual tourism – a new kind of tourism: A literature review”,Proceedings ofThe 2nd International conference on Innovations in the Social sciences and Humanities, pp. 592-601.

2. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2022), “Technology acceptance model application in tourism research – A preliminary review”,Proceedings ofThe first international conference on the issues of social sciences and humanities,pp. 758-776.

3. Tran Tuyen (2022), “Virtual tourism in digital transformation of Vietnam tourism sector”,Journal of Tourism(11), pp. 46-49.

4. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2022), “Analysis of Ho Chi Minh City's readiness in developing virtual tourism”, Proceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH-ICSSH 2022), pp. 49 – 59.

5. Tuyen, Tran, & Hanh, Nguyen (2022), “Virtual tourism: A literature review”,VNUHCM Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities6 (4), pp. 1767-1776.https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.32508/stdjssh.v6i4.784

6. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2023), “Assessing the Adoption of Virtual Tourism in Ho Chi Minh City: A Study on Tourist Evaluation”,Proceedings ofThe international conference on Opportunities and challenges for the task of human resource training in Dak Nong province,pp 397 - 407.

7. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2023), “Virtual Tourism: An Investigation of Tourist Experience and Intention of Use”,Proceedings ofThe international conference on Sustainable tourism development in the Southern region in the new context,pp. 935 – 948.

8. Tran, Tuyen & Nguyen, Thi Van Hanh (2023), “The Implementation Of Virtual Tourism: A Bibliometric And Visualization Analysis”,Journal of Event, Tourism and Hospitality Studies(3), pp. 36–56.https://doi.org/10.32890/jeth2023.3.3

9. Van Hanh, Nguyen Thi & Tuyen, Tran (2023), “Virtual Tourism as an Alternative to Sustainable Tourism”, Tučková, Z., Dey, SK, Thai, HH and Hoang, SD (Ed.)Impact of Industry 4.0 on Sustainable Tourism, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 81-94.https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-157-820231005

10. Tuyen, Tran & Van Hanh, Nguyen Thi (2024), “Unveiling the Influence of Perceived Limitations: Exploring Tourist Acceptance and Usage Intentions Towards Virtual Tourism in Ho Chi Minh City”, In: Nghia, PT, Thai, VD, Thuy, NT, Son, LH, Huynh, VN. (eds),Advances in Information and Communication Technology ICTA 2023, Lecture Notes in Networks and Systemsvol 848, Springer, Cham, pp. 448 – 455.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50818-9_48

INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name: Tran Tuyen

2. Sex: Male

3. Date of birth: June 28, 1997

4. Place of birth: Tien Giang province

5. Amission decision number 2949/2021/QD-XHNV-DT dated December 28, 2021 by University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi city.

6. Changes in academic process:

Thesis title change decision number2757/QD-XHNVdated September 28, 2022 by University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi city.

Thesis title change decision number3930/QD-XHNVdated August 6, 2024 by University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi city.

1. Official thesis title: Factors affecting the intention to adopt virtual reality of tourists and tourism businesses in Ho Chi Minh City.

2. Major: Tourism

3. Code: 9810101.01 

4. Supervisors

1. Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Van Hanh - University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh city

2. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy - School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Vietnam National University, Hanoi city.

1. Summary of the new findings of the thesis

The main aim of the research is to assess the factors affecting the intention to utilize virtual reality technology among tourists and tourism enterprises. This assessment seeks to establish a scientific basis for the incorporation of virtual reality technology into tourism activities, particularly as this technology begins to advance in Vietnam.

The qualitative research methodologies incorporate a semi-systematic literature review, expert interviews, and focus group discussions.

The research uses structural equation modeling (SEM) for quantitative analysis, utilizing the partial least squares methodology (PLS-SEM) to develop the measurement model. The reflections are examined using descriptive statistics via SPSS program. The SEM analysis is performed utilizing SmartPLS 4.0 software, adhering to the PLS-SEM methodology.
The formal quantitative research encompassed 450 domestic tourists and 260 representatives from tourism enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City, chosen by the convenience sample technique. Following the assessment of the measurement models, 13 hypotheses related to the tourist scale and 9 hypotheses related to the business scale were examined utilizing the bootstrap approach with a capacity of 10,000 observations.

The findings corroborated 09 hypotheses at the 1% or 5% significance level, whilst 04 hypotheses (H10, H11, H12, H13) were dismissed at the 5% significance level. The principal conclusions are as follows:

- Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived prospects favorably affect tourists' intention to utilize virtual reality in tourism. Perceived usefulness, and perceived prospects have the greatest influence on the intention to utilize.
- Tourists' optimism and innovativeness favorably influence perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness.

- Discomfort and integrity do not have a significant significant effect on tourists' perceptions of virtual reality in tourism.

-The optimism of tourists and innovation significantly influences the acceptance of virtual reality in tourism. Consequently, it is essential to target potential tourists and find virtual reality suppliers, as this constitutes a niche tourism product rather than mass tourism.

For enterprises, the results corroborated eight hypotheses at the 1% or 5% significance level, whereas one hypothesis (H3) was rejected at the 5% significance level. The principal conclusions encompass:

- The perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness positively affects tourism organizations' intention to embrace virtual reality. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use had a comparably equivalent influence on enterprises' intention to adopt virtual reality.

-These opinions are favorably affected by technical improvements, organizational readiness, and external motivators (including government backing, policies, and the tourism industry).

- Technological developments exert the greatest influence on perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, succeeded by organizational readiness, and external motivators.

The research findings provide Government policy-making and product development strategies to promote the growth of suitable virtual reality in the realms of technology breakthroughs, innovation, smart tourism, and sustainable development in Vietnam. Notwithstanding its theoretical and practical contributions, the study recognizes several limitations that require attention for an objective and suitable assessment. The paper also proposes prospective directions for further research regarding virtual reality in Vietnam.

1. Further research directions

Additional study avenues are proposed, including the necessity to further investigate unique user experiences following the utilization of virtual reality technology, including aspects such as realism, flow, emotion, and hedonic satisfaction within the virtual world. Research on virtual reality in tourism must be undertaken independently for each category of technology and its respective applications; A longitudinal research should be established to examine the intentions and behaviors associated with the utilization of virtual reality in tourism over various time intervals.

1. Thesis-related publications

2. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2021), “Virtual tourism – a new kind of tourism: A literature review”,Proceedings of The 2nd International conference on Innovations in the Social sciences and Humanities, pp. 592-601.

3. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2022), “Technology acceptance model application in tourism research – A preliminary review”,Proceedings of The first international conference on the issues of social sciences and humanities,pp. 758-776.

4. Tran Tuyen (2022), “Virtual reality tourism in digital transformation of Vietnam tourism”,Travel Magazine(11), pp. 46-49.

5. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2022), “Analysis of Ho Chi Minh City's readiness in developing virtual reality tourism”,Proceedings of the 2022 International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH-ICSSH 2022),pp. 49 – 59.

6. Tuyen, Tran, & Hanh, Nguyen (2022), “Virtual tourism: A literature review”,VNUHCM Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities6 (4), pp. 1767-1776.https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.32508/stdjssh.v6i4.784

7. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2023), “Assessing the Adoption of Virtual Tourism in Ho Chi Minh City: A Study on Tourist Evaluation”,Proceedings of The international conference on Opportunities and challenges for the task of human resource training in Dak Nong province,pp 397 - 407.

8. Tran Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Van Hanh (2023), “Virtual Tourism: An Investigation of Tourist Experience and Intention of Use”,Proceedings of The international conference on Sustainable tourism development in the Southern region in the new context,pp. 935 – 948.

9. Tran, Tuyen & Nguyen, Thi Van Hanh (2023), “The Implementation Of Virtual Tourism: A Bibliometric And Visualization Analysis”,Journal of Event, Tourism and Hospitality Studies(3), pp. 36–56.https://doi.org/10.32890/jeth2023.3.3

10. Van Hanh, Nguyen Thi & Tuyen, Tran (2023), “Virtual Tourism as an Alternative to Sustainable Tourism”, Tučková, Z., Dey, SK, Thai, HH and Hoang, SD (Ed.)Impact of Industry 4.0 on Sustainable Tourism, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 81-94.https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-157-820231005

11. Tuyen, Tran & Van Hanh, Nguyen Thi (2024), “Unveiling the Influence of Perceived Limitations: Exploring Tourist Acceptance and Usage Intentions Towards Virtual Tourism in Ho Chi Minh City”, In: Nghia, PT, Thai, VD, Thuy, NT, Son, LH, Huynh, VN. (eds),Advances in Information and Communication Technology ICTA 2023, Lecture Notes in Networks and Systemsvol 848, Springer, Cham, pp. 448 – 455.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50818-9_48