Resource Readiness Level to Promote the Application of Information Technology in the Implementation of Smart Tourism: A Case Study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Developing smart tourism (ST) in Vietnam has brought many opportunities to the tourism industry. Vietnam has had strong specific guidelines and policies to take advantage of the achievements of Industry 4.0 in smart tourism. Vietnam’s tourism industry is developing rapidly and dynamically, closely linking the region with the rest of the world in a professional and modern direction, which helps to strengthen digital connectivity and develop ST. In addition, Vietnam’s digital and telecommunications infrastructure has developed at the same level as the rest of the world. The purpose of this chapter is to show the relationship between the readiness of information technology (IT) applications in the enterprise, resources, connection infrastructure, and the external environment in the process of realizing smart tourism in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City. A survey with 298 responses from domestic and international tourists was conducted, and the study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), regression analysis, and one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) to identify the aspect of readiness to use IT applications with the implementation of ST by using a model of five factors to assess the level of readiness and analyze the differences between each group of survey subjects. The results show that most of the factors included in the analysis are ready for the implementation of ST in HCM City (HCMC). HCM City, especially the factor of human resources and the factor of infrastructure and connectivity at a high level of availability. In addition, the study also points out some strategic solutions to promote the implementation of ST in HCM City.