In October 2023, two former Google engineers, Huy Nguyen and Nam Do, founded Phygital Labs to promote the development of digital physics in Vietnam, with the company's core product being Nomion - Digital Identification of All Things. This is a comprehensive solution, creating a unique digital identity for each physical product using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and Blockchain (blockchain technology), ensuring transparency and uniqueness of the product in both real and digital spaces.

Mr. Huy Nguyen, Co-founder and CEO of Phygital Labs

As a pioneer in applying digital physics to preserve and develop Vietnamese culture, since its launch, the company has accompanied many units, partners, and departments to bring its technology to cultural products such as: Signing a cooperation agreement with the UNESCO Information Center to build the project "Application of technology to preserve and develop Vietnamese heritage and culture", promoting digital transformation with the Department of Information and Communications of Da Nang to identify sculptures of Non Nuoc Stone Village, accompanying the Hue Monuments Museum, the Temple of Literature, and Nhan Dan Newspaper to attach chips, identify OCOP products, pilot the branding of Duc Tan Ceramics... In 2023, the company's solution has helped identify and digitize physical products into digital assets, and is also the gateway to open an endless treasure trove of knowledge, affirming the unique values ​​of cultural products. With Non Nuoc Da Nang Stone Sculpture Village, Phygital Labs has identified 10 sculptures at the 1st Non Nuoc Stone Sculpture Competition. Currently, 10 works are being exhibited simultaneously in physical and digital spaces, visitors only need to interact simply with the stone works to discover the story of the work, the author and the traditional craft village.

Mr. Nam Do, Co-founder of Phygital Labs, presents the process of digitizing a cultural product using Nomion technology.

The company also accompanied Nhan Dan Newspaper in the program "One Commune One Product", by piloting the chip identification for the first 5-star OCOP product - Suoi Ngoc Glazed Ceramics of Tan Thinh Ceramics Production and Trading Cooperative in Bat Trang, Hanoi. The ceramic vase product with the chip identification of Meritorious Artisan Tran Duc Tan was selected by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan as a gift from the agricultural sector to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Conference summarizing the sector's work in 2023 and deploying tasks in 2024. Notably, Phygital Labs has coordinated with the Unesco Information Center, Temple of Literature to implement the Tam Chan project, aiming to apply Digital Physics technology to enhance the value of heritage. The first movements of this project are Phygital Completing the chip installation of 300 bronze Nghes of the Temple of Literature from the prototype Nghes on the four-pillar column at the Temple of Literature as well as successfully launching the digital physical book "Nghes at the gate of Confucius in Trinh yard" by Dr. Tran Hau Yen The. Accordingly, by using a smartphone to interact with the RFID chip attached to the Nghe statue of the Temple of Literature, an item cast in bronze, according to the prototype of the Nghes on the four-pillar column of the Temple of Literature, the interactor will experience the first digital physical book in Vietnam, opening up a rich world of knowledge, connecting the past with the present in a vivid digital space, increasing the experience, demonstrating uniqueness, so the content of this book can only be accessed when interacting with the RFID chip attached to the Nghe statue of the Temple of Literature.

Cultural item Nghe Van Mieu Quoc Tu Giam with RFID chip by Phygital Labs

Mr. Huy Nguyen, Co-founder and CEO of Phygital Labs, shared that Vietnam currently has countless craft villages, countless valuable works, assets, and products, but due to the limitations of space and time, the stories have not been told or have not been fully told. Even when fully told, the stories are not closely linked to physical products, making it difficult to spread widely and increase their value. That is why Mr. Huy Nguyen set a goal: "Phygital Labs' mission now is to use pioneering technology to spread Vietnamese culture and products and proudly tell about the quality of products, the quintessence of craft villages, and the talent of Vietnamese artisans to the world". To develop the story of a Vietnam with a strong cultural identity, and furthermore to elevate the value of Vietnamese culture, according to Mr. Huy Nguyen, there must be many Vietnamese products in the digital physical space. In 2024, Phygital Labs will focus on maximizing the application of new technology in the Vietnamese market. Using the Nomion solution to turn more and more physical products in traditional industries, culture, heritage... into digital assets. According to Google's report, Vietnam's digital economic growth rate is the fastest in Southeast Asia for 2 consecutive years, at about 20%/year, 3 times higher than the GDP growth rate. However, according to Leta Capital's "State of Phygital 2022" report, despite strong development in recent decades, the digital economy still accounts for less than 6% of the total global economy, the majority of the remaining market share still belongs to the physical world. "It is estimated that with the contribution of digital physics in the next 15 to 25 years, the digital economy will contribute 50% of global GDP with a scale of 100 to 200 trillion USD". Thus, the digital economy in Vietnam is full of opportunities, but to keep up with the development of the world, Vietnam needs to have common standards for digital transformation specifications for valuable physical products, both material and cultural. In other words, legal mechanisms related to new technologies such as blockchain and digital physics should be encouraged to be tested and developed. "I really hope that Vietnam will soon have specific guidelines and definitions for digital assets, clearly distinguishing them from virtual assets; thereby providing people and the community with clear perspectives on new technologies in general and digital physics in particular to be able to catch up with this new wave of technology as well as to give the digital economy a large and potential market," Mr. Huy Nguyen shared.

Le My - Vietnamnet.vn

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