INFORMATION ABOUT THE MASTER'S THESIS
1. Student's full name: Lai Nguyet Anh 2. Gender: Female
3. Date of birth: September 4, 2002 4. Place of birth: Hanoi
5. Decision No. 5915/QD-XHNV dated October 28, 2024, of the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, recognizing the student.
6. Changes in the training process: None
7. Thesis title: Online newspapers and the issue of exploiting local cultural values in tourism development in Lao Cai.
8. Major: Journalism; Code: 8320101
9. Scientific supervisor: Dr. Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang, Institute of Journalism and Communication Training, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
10. Summary of the thesis results:
In the context of developing tourism while preserving and promoting local cultural values, online newspapers have been asserting their role as an important communication channel in connecting stakeholders, disseminating information, and shaping social awareness. Based on this, this thesis focuses on researching how online newspapers relate to the issue of exploiting local cultural values in tourism development in Lao Cai, thereby clarifying the characteristics, trends, and challenges in destination tourism communication activities.
Theoretically, the thesis systematizes fundamental concepts related to indigenous culture, indigenous cultural values, and the exploitation of indigenous cultural values in tourism development, clarifying the role of online newspapers in the process of exploiting indigenous cultural values in tourism development. Based on this, the study constructs an analytical framework combining framing theory and agenda-setting theory to identify how online newspapers select, emphasize, and organize information about indigenous culture in tourism development.
Regarding the research results, through a survey of 193 articles from three media outlets including Lao Cai Newspaper, Ethnic Minorities and Development Newspaper, and Vietnamnet, combined with sociological research and in-depth interviews, the thesis has presented a relatively comprehensive picture of the current state of exploiting local cultural values in the development of tourism in Lao Cai on online newspapers. The research shows that online newspapers have played a key role as a primary information channel in promoting tourism, reflecting diverse content such as unique local culture, natural beauty, traditional festivals, cultural and tourism events, as well as tourism development policies and strategies; thereby contributing to positioning Lao Cai as a unique cultural destination. At the same time, the press also plays a role in shaping social awareness, raising awareness of cultural preservation, and promoting the participation of local communities in tourism activities.
Despite the achievements, the exploitation of local cultural values in the development of tourism in Lao Cai through online newspapers still faces some limitations. News articles tend to be repetitive and lack in-depth analysis; the approach remains descriptive, failing to fully reflect the limitations and negative aspects of tourism development; the strengths of multimedia are not fully utilized, and coordination among stakeholders in the media-culture-tourism ecosystem lacks a systematic approach.
Therefore, the thesis proposes several solutions to improve the effectiveness of exploiting local cultural values in tourism development through online newspapers: improving content quality and information depth; strengthening the role of local communities; promoting multimedia; perfecting the coordination mechanism between press agencies, management agencies, and relevant stakeholders; and enhancing the professional capacity and social responsibility of journalists. These solutions aim to build media communication activities that both ensure effective tourism promotion and contribute to the sustainable preservation and promotion of local cultural values.
11. Practical applications:
The research findings of this thesis have practical applications for many stakeholders in journalism, culture, and tourism in Lao Cai province in particular and nationwide in general. For state management agencies, the thesis provides a reference basis for developing tourism promotion and communication policies linked to the preservation and promotion of local cultural values. For media organizations, the research results help guide the improvement of content quality, innovation in presentation style, and increased effectiveness in reaching readers through cultural tourism communication. For the local tourism industry, the research contributes to supporting the development of destination branding and enhancing tourism effectiveness based on exploiting the local cultural values of ethnic minority communities. Furthermore, the thesis can also be used as a reference for teaching and research in the fields of journalism, media, culture, and tourism.
12. Future research directions:
Further research could be expanded in the direction of research journalism or media. First, the roles and effectiveness of different forms of journalism—such as online newspapers, print newspapers, radio, and television—in promoting tourism linked to the exploitation of local cultural values could be compared. Additionally, the scope of the survey could be extended to localities with similar conditions, such as Ha Giang, Son La, or Lai Chau, to compare the communication methods of local media in relation to the development of tourism in ethnic minority areas. Furthermore, deeper research is needed on the impact of journalistic content on public perception, destination image, and readers' tourism choices. Another important direction is to analyze the process of organizing news production, content strategy, digital transformation of newsrooms, and the operational capacity of reporters when reflecting on cultural and tourism issues. At the same time, further research could be conducted on the role of journalism in balancing the task of promoting tourism with the requirement to preserve the authenticity, identity, and sustainable values of local culture in the context of current development.
13. Published works related to the project:
Lai Quoc Khanh, Lai Nguyet Anh, “Mapping Vietnamese Political Culture Through Value Systems: Post-1975 Development”, April 6, 2026, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRSS), ISSN No. 2454-6186, Vol. X Issue III March 2026, p. 3992-4006, DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
INFORMATION ON MASTER'S THESIS
1. Full name: Lai Nguyet Anh 2. Sex: Female
3. Date of birth: September 4, 2002 4. Place of birth: Hanoi
5. Admission decision number: 5915/QD-XHNV dated October 28, 2024; issued by the Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
6. Changes in academic process: No
7. Official thesis title: Online Newspapers in Promoting Indigenous Cultural Values for Tourism Development in Lao Cai
8. Major: Journalism Code: 8320101
9. Supervisors: Doctor Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University.
10. Summary of the findings of the thesis:
In the context where tourism development associated with the preservation and promotion of indigenous cultural values has become increasingly important, online newspapers have affirmed their role as a significant communication channel in connecting stakeholders, disseminating information, and shaping public awareness. On that basis, the thesis examines the role of online newspapers in exploiting indigenous cultural values for tourism development in Lao Cai, thereby clarifying the characteristics, trends, and issues arising in destination tourism communication.
From a theoretical perspective, the thesis systematizes fundamental concepts related to indigenous culture, indigenous cultural values, and the exploitation of indigenous cultural values in tourism development, while clarifying the role of online newspapers in this process. Based on this foundation, the study develops an analytical framework combining Framing Theory and Agenda-Setting Theory to identify how online newspapers select, emphasize, and organize information about indigenous culture in tourism development.
Regarding research results, through an analysis of 193 articles from three news agencies, namely Lao Cai Newspaper, Dan toc and Phat trien Newspaper, and Vietnamnet, together with sociological surveys and in-depth interviews, the thesis presents a relatively comprehensive picture of the current exploitation of indigenous cultural values in tourism development in Lao Cai through online newspapers. The findings show that online newspapers have played a key role in tourism promotion by reflecting diverse topics such as indigenous cultural uniqueness, natural beauty, traditional festivals, cultural-tourism events, and tourism policies and strategies, thereby helping to position Lao Cai as a distinctive cultural destination. At the same time, the press has also contributed to shaping public awareness, raising consciousness of cultural preservation, and encouraging local community participation in tourism activities.
Besides these achievements, the exploitation of indigenous cultural values in tourism development in Lao Cai through online newspapers still reveals several limitations. News content tends to be repetitive and lacks analytical depth; reporting approaches remain descriptive and have not fully reflected or negative aspects of tourism development; multimedia advantages have not been fully utilized; and coordination among stakeholders in the communication–culture–tourism ecosystem remains unsystematic.
Developed, the thesis proposes several solutions to improve the effectiveness of exploiting indigenous cultural values for tourism development through online newspapers: improving content quality and depth of information; enhancing the role of indigenous communities; promoting multimedia applications; perfecting coordination mechanisms among press agencies, management bodies, and related stakeholders; and improve the professional capacity and social responsibility of journalists. These solutions aim to build media activities that both effectively promote tourism and sustainably preserve and promote indigenous cultural values.
11. Practical applicability:
The findings of the thesis can be practically applied to related stakeholders to journalism, culture, and tourism in Lao Cai in particular and throughout Vietnam in general. For state management agencies, the thesis provides reference materials for designing communication policies on tourism promotion associated with preserving and promoting indigenous cultural values. For press agencies, the results help orient improvements in content quality, innovation in presentation formats, and greater audience engagement in cultural tourism communication. For the local tourism sector, the study contributes to destination branding and improving tourism efficiency based on the exploitation of indigenous cultural values of ethnic minority communities. In addition, the thesis may serve as a reference source for teaching and research activities in journalism, communication, culture, and tourism.
12. Further research directions:
Future studies may be expanded in the field of journalism and communication research. First, comparative studies may examine the roles and effectiveness of different media types such as online newspapers, print newspapers, radio, and television in promoting tourism associated with indigenous cultural values. In addition, the scope may be extended to provinces with similar conditions such as Ha Giang, Son La, or Lai Chau in order to compare local media approaches to tourism development in ethnic minority regions. Furthermore, deeper studies are needed on the impact of journalistic content on public awareness, destination image, and readers' travel choices. Another important direction is to analyze newsroom production processes, content strategies, newsroom digital transformation, and journalists' professional capacity in covering cultural and tourism issues. At the same time, future research may continue to explore the role of journalism in balancing tourism promotion with the preservation of authenticity, identity, and sustainable values of indigenous culture in the current development context.
13. Thesis-related publications:
Lai Quoc Khanh, Lai Nguyet Anh, “Mapping Vietnamese Political Culture Through Value Systems: Post-1975 Development”, April 6, 2026, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRSS), ISSN No. 2454-6186, Vol. X Issue III March 2026, p. 3992-4006, DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS
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