Preserving the spirit of heritage

An AI-powered collective memory library

Comemo.vn is among the first initiatives in Vietnam to apply AI in cultural heritage preservation. Created by Nguyen Thai Anh, a Vietnam-born AI consultant based in Germany, the platform allows users to extract ancient decorative motifs from photos and convert them into various digital formats.

Seeing that restoring ancient patterns still relied on slow, error-prone manual work, Nguyen Thai Anh developed an AI system to identify and recreate traditional motifs from photos.

Launched in September 2025, Comemo.vn lets users digitise and share patterns, building a “collective memory library” of Vietnamese designs. Within a month, it drew over 800 users and 10,000 image processes.

Keeping heritage alive in the digital space

In Vietnam, major projects such as the digitisation of 80,000 Nguyen Dynasty records and Sino-Nom script archives mark major steps in preserving cultural memory through technology. The focus is shifting from storing data to reviving heritage, using technology to deepen, not dilute, tradition.

Photographer Le Bich, founder of the Ancient Patterns Group, praised Comemo’s potential for both research and education.

Early users report that Comemo recreates patterns with up to 80-90% accuracy, saving time for museums like the Museum of Cham Sculpture and enriching their visual resources.

Dr. Ha Thi Suong from the Da Nang Museum said the tool could form the basis for a national database of traditional motifs.

Self-funded, Comemo offers free access for researchers and institutions.

Creator Nguyen Thai Anh said Comemo is not just a tool; it is a way to preserve cultural memory in the digital age.