Information on the doctoral dissertation of PhD candidate Phan Minh Châu: Research on the development of creative tourism in traditional craft villages in Ninh Thuận.

1. Full name of doctoral candidate: Phan Minh Châu   2. Gender: Male

3. Date of birth: March 16, 1983. 4. Place of birth: Long An

5. Decision to admit doctoral students:Decision No. 1309/2020 QD-XHNV dated July 24, 2020, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities,Vietnam National University, Hanoi, term from 2020-2023;

6. Changes to the training process (if any):

- The dissertation title was adjusted once according to Decision No. 3172/QD-XHNV dated August 24, 2023, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

- Decision No. 5672/QD-XHNV dated December 29, 2023, adjusting the training duration from 3 years to 4 years (2020-2024).

- The training period for PhD candidates has been extended from December 2024 to December 2025.

7. Thesis title:Research on developing creative tourism in traditional craft villages in Ninh Thuan.

8. Major: Tourism 9. Code: 9810101.01

10. Scientific supervisors: 1.Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thuy Anh; 2. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy

11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

* Overview of research objectives, subjects, and methods

+Research objectives

- To build a theoretical and practical foundation for research on the development of creative tourism in traditional craft villages in Ninh Thuan.

- Survey and assess the current state of creative tourism development in traditional craft villages in Ninh Thuan province.

- Analyzing the factors affecting the development of creative tourism in traditional craft villages in Ninh Thuan.

- Proposing several solutions for developing creative tourism in traditional craft villages in Ninh Thuan.

- Provide specific recommendations for local authorities, industry regulatory agencies, local communities, tourism businesses, and training and research organizations.

+ Research subjects

Research on developing creative tourism in traditional craft villages in Ninh Thuan.

* Key new contributions and research findings

+ Main research findings

The research makes the following new contributions:

+Theoretical contributions: This research has contributed to refining and expanding the theoretical framework of creative tourism in the context of traditional craft villages, clarifying three core pillars: active participation of tourists, authenticity of the experience, and two-way interaction with the local community. The work also analyzes, systematizes, and compares typical creative tourism models both domestically and internationally, thereby identifying theoretical characteristics applicable to the cultural space of traditional crafts. The model of influencing factors, tested using quantitative methods – especially the prominent roles of "Creative Activities" and "Creative People" – has contributed further empirical evidence to the theory of creative tourism development and affirmed the suitability of the co-creation approach in cultural tourism.

+ Practical contributions:

This thesis provides a comprehensive empirical picture of creative tourism in the two craft villages of Bau Truc and My Nghiep – two typical cultural spaces of the Cham community. The survey results indicate positive changes in experiential activities, increasing community participation, the prominent role of artisans, and the formation of personalized products. Simultaneously, the study identifies practical barriers such as weak infrastructure, lack of open experiential spaces, limited storytelling skills, and ineffective tripartite linkages. These findings provide localities, businesses, and communities with a scientific basis for designing policies, developing products, cultivating human resources, and positioning creative tourism brands more effectively.

* Scientific and practical significance and potential applications:

Scientifically, this research provides additional qualitative and quantitative evidence to the theoretical framework of creative tourism and community-based cultural tourism. The concepts, model structures, and test results can continue to be used as an evaluation framework for similar destinations nationwide.

In practical terms, the thesis provides a system of solutions that can be directly applied to traditional craft villages: from planning experiential spaces, training artisans and communities, diversifying creative products to applying digitalization and expanding markets. These recommendations are consistent with Ninh Thuan's sustainable development orientation and can be integrated into the new rural development program, OCOP program, or Cham cultural preservation plans.

In terms of applicability, the research model and methodology can be implemented in traditional craft villages in Vietnam, supporting management agencies in policy planning, businesses in designing creative experiential tours, and training institutions in developing curricula on creative tourism.

12. Directions for further research:

Based on the results and limitations of this thesis, further research directions could focus on:

(1) Expand the scope of the survey to other craft villages to compare creative tourism models by region, ethnic group and level of development.

(2) Further research on the relationship between creative experience, cultural transformation and tourists' intention to return.

(3) Deep analysis of the role of young people and women in the creative ecosystem of craft villages – subjects proven to be important agents but not yet fully quantified.

(4) Applying digital technology, especially digital storytelling, VR/AR and online platforms, in expanding creative tourism experiences.

(5) Building a destination governance model based on public-private-community cooperation, aiming to assess the long-term effectiveness of creative tourism on local economic-cultural-social development.

13. Publications related to the dissertation:

1. Phan Minh Châu, Nguyễn Thu Thủy (2023), "Research on creative tourism development in traditional craft villages in Ninh Thuan",TED 2023 - Developing Local Tourism Destinations: Domestic and International Experiences and Lessons for Dak Nong, Finance Publishing House (ISBN: 978047940950), pp. 191-194.

2. Phan Minh Chau, Nguyen Thu Thuy (2023), "An overview of research on tourists' motivation when participating in creative tourism type, The 19 Asia Pacific forum for graduate students research in tourim",Information and Communications Publishing House, pp. 71-74.

3. Chu Khanh Linh, Phan Minh Chau, Dang Thi Phuong Anh (2024), "Business linkage in developing creative tourism products in Ninh Thuan Province",DHV International Scientific Conference(ISBN:9786043462715), pp.121-131.

4. Chu Khanh Linh, Phan Minh Chau, Dao Minh Ngoc (2023), "Linkages between businesses in developing innovative tourism products in Ho Chi Minh City",University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City: The International Conference on Business and Finance (20), Labor Publishing House, pp. 1167-1181.

5. Phan Minh Châu, Nguyễn Thu Thủy (2025), "Developing creative tourism in Bau Truc Pottery Village, Ninh Thuận",Green Transformation in the Context of Global Change-Grosh et al(DOI: 10.1201/9781003602941, ISBN: 978-1-032-99212-9, ISBN: 978-1-032-99213-6) - ISBN: 978-1-003-60294-1 (ebk), pp.544-552.

6. Phan Minh Chau, Nguyen Thu Thuy (2025), "Developing high-quality human resources in creative tourism in traditional craft villages: a case study of Bau Truc pottery village - Ninh Thuan",Proceedings of the international conference "Improving the effectiveness of training internationally qualified tourism human resources in the context of integration", Ho Chi Minh City Economic Publishing House (ISBN: 9786043464597), pp. 818-826.

7. Phan Minh Chau, Vu Thi Ha (2025), "Developing sustainable tourism distribution. Channels for traditional craft villages: the case of bau truc pottery and My Nghiep weaving villages, Khanh Hoa",Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference: "Proceeding of the International Conference: Responsible Supply Chain Management in Tourism", Labour-Social Publishing House (ISBN-978632-03-0287-1), pp. 304-310.

8. Phan Minh Châu, Hoàng Phó Trình, Phạm Tấn Đức (2025), Creative community-based tourism and heritage preservation: challenges at Bau Truc pottery village, Khanh Hoa,Proceedings of the International Conference: Cultural Industries and Sustainable Tourism Development in Vietnam(October 30, 2025 - Volume 1, ISBN: 978-607-176-4), Social Sciences Publishing House, pp. 1377-1387.

9. Phan Minh Chau, Nguyen Thu Thuy (2025), Application of multimedia storytelling in building regional identity and developing sustainable tourism in Bau Truc pottery village, Ninh Thuan,Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference on Effective Tourism Development in the Context of Integration, Khanh Hoa University, Social Sciences Publishing House, pp. 505-511.