Abstract

As the tourism industry shifts toward a visitor-centered model, growing attention has been paid to the emotional dimensions of tourism experiences. Within this shift, cultural tourism plays a dual role: preserving heritage while offering emotionally rich encounters that shape tourists’ identities and perceptions. Despite its significance, research on the emotional impact of cultural tourism remains limited, particularly in the Vietnamese context. This study investigates how cultural tourism experiences influence the emotions of domestic tourists at the Cu Chi Tunnels, a nationally significant historical site in southern Vietnam. Using semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 domestic visitors who had recently visited the site, the study reveals that emotional responses—such as pride, admiration, nostalgia, gratitude, and being moved—are central to how tourists make sense of their experiences. These emotions not only shape memory formation but also influence post- visit behaviors including storytelling, destination recommendation, and revisit intentions. The findings affirm the importance of emotion as a mediating factor between cultural experience and tourist behavior. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of emotional engagement in heritage tourism and offers practical implications for designing and managing emotionally resonant, human-centered, and sustainable cultural tourism experiences in Vietnam and beyond.