Hawker culture, an integral part of Singapore’s national identity and a UNESCO recognised intangible heritage, is losing relevance among younger generations who increasingly view hawker centres as mere food courts. Our project was created to revive this connection through sight, sound, and smell. Its objectives were to engage youths through immersion, enhance learning via sensory experience, and validate VR as a medium for cultural education.

Based on interviews with Newton hawkers, the project presents a three-scene VR journey across the 2025, 1990s, and 1960s eras. Built in Unity, users interact with a hawker, order food, and experience its aroma through a custom scent module on the VR controller. The final scene pauses the scents to deliver a reflective call to action, prompting users to support hawker culture.

Testing with participants showed that 80% found the experience immersive, 80% gained new knowledge, and 90% felt motivated to support hawker centres. Smell notably enhanced realism and memory retention, confirming multi-sensory VR’s potential for heritage engagement.