Understanding tourists’ experiences at war heritage sites in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam: a netnographic analysis of TripAdvisor reviews

ABSTRACTThis article examines tourists' experiences based on a content analysis of 23,640 online TripAdvisor reviews on the Cu Chi tunnels, one of the most well-known dark tourist sites in Vietnam. Using the netnography approach, we found that most online reviews are from inbound tourists. We identified several factors that impact tourists' perceptions, including tourists' underground experience, the content of war history, the tour guide's narrative talents, tourists' experience shooting weapons on-site, and the relative size of the crowd. Both positive and negative experiences were grouped into a few common categories. Based on our analysis, we observed that the current improvement of service quality, programmes, and presentations is not enough to transform tourists' experiences at the site. Rather, we discovered that the tourist also needs to be a co-creator of the experience. We draw out the findings to delineate their theoretical value and make inferences for the site management before concluding with a discussion of the study's limitations and suggestions for future research.KEYWORDS: War heritagedark tourismcustomer experiencenetnographyCu Chi tunnelsVietnam Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsTuyen Dai QuangTuyen Dai Quang currently serves as a lecturer in the Tourism Department at Nguyen Tat Thanh University. His research expertise encompasses diverse areas within tourism management, including destination development, sustainable and responsible tourism practices, heritage tourism, and the rich history and culture of the Cham ethnic group. In addition, he co-founded the Vietnam Tourism Research Network with the objective of promoting the scholarly contributions of Vietnamese researchers in the field of tourism. Tuyen Dai Quang has made remarkable contributions to the field through numerous publications in prestigious domestic and international journals. Beyond his academic pursuits, he actively engages in the implementation and advisory roles for various community-based tourism initiatives. Notably, he has achieved great success in piloting a community-based tourism model centered around the Cham community in Ninh Thuan province.Nhat Minh Dang VoNhat Minh Dang Vo is a young researcher currently collaborating with the Vietnam Tourism Research Network. His research interests primarily revolve around the evaluation of service quality and tourist experiences. In addition to his role as a contributor to the Vietnam Tourism Research Network, he is also an energetic and aspiring tour guide, gradually building a distinctive personal brand.Hoang Van NguyenHoang Van Nguyen is an esteemed lecturer in the Tourism Department at Nguyen Tat Thanh University. His research endeavors revolve around the critical areas of marine environmental conservation, sustainable tourism development, and community-based tourism for local livelihoods. Additionally, he holds the distinction of being a co-founder of the Vietnam Tourism Research Network, an esteemed platform dedicated to augmenting the scholarly impact of Vietnamese researchers in the tourism domain. Hoang Van Nguyen's noteworthy contributions are evident through his extensive publications in reputable national and international journals.Quynh Xuan Thi NguyenQuynh Xuan Thi Nguyen is a promising researcher who is currently affiliated with the Vietnam Tourism Research Network. Her research focuses on destination management, destination competitiveness, community-based tourism development, and sustainable tourism. She is currently investigating the significance of agricultural festivals in Central Vietnam as a means to attract tourists and uplift the economic well-being of local communities. While her publication record may be modest, it serves as a catalyst for her unwavering commitment to scientific inquiry and advancement.Hiram TingHiram Ting is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, UCSI University in Malaysia. He is also the Founder of Southeast Asia Research Academy (SEARA) and Founding Director of Responsible Borneo (affiliated to Sarawak Research Society). He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Responsible Tourism Management (JRTM), and Young Consumers as well as the Managing Editor of Asian Journal of Business Research (AJBR). He has guest-edited more than 20 special issues and published more than 100 articles in journals such as Tourism Management, Tourism Economics, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Internet Research and European Journal of Marketing. Being an Ambassador of Emerald Publishing in East Asia, he advocates mobilisation of knowledge to practice, responsible management and partnership among stakeholders to bring a real impact to the society.Tan Vo-ThanhTan Vo-Thanh is a Professor at Excelia Business School, France since 2009. His research focuses on digitalization, smart technology adoption, sustainable tourism, customer experience, consumer behavior, customer engagement, employee engagement, and organizational behavior. He has published in reputable journals including Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Ethics, and Information and Management. Tan serves on the editorial boards of international journals and has received funding for research projects in France and Vietnam. He has been recognized with the Best Paper Award at the 8th International Conference on Services Management and was a nominee for the Best Paper Award at the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA), Europe Chapter Conference. Tan is also a member of the Board of Directors of the AFMAT (French Association of Tourism Management) since 2017.