Smart tourism technology (STTs) is increasingly being used by agritourism locations in Vietnam to help travellers prior to, during, and following their travels. However, there is little empirical data on how digital technologies function that affect visitors' intentions to return, especially in rural and agritourism. Based on the expectation-confirmation paradigm and smart tourism studies, this study looks at how STTs, novelty-seeking behaviour, and travel anxiety affect visitors' satisfaction and, consequently, their propensity to return to Vietnam's agritourism sites. A structured survey of 230 agritourism visitors was used to gather primary data, which was then analysed using Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with bootstrapping and an Importance–performance map analysis (IPMA) to determine practical improvement goals. The results show that the main factor influencing the propensity to return is visitor pleasure. STTs enhance pleasure through immersion and reassurance, while novelty-seeking boosts experiential value. Notably, travel anxiety is positively correlated with satisfaction, suggesting that in technology-mediated contexts, moderate levels of apprehension may enhance information engagement and appreciation when expectations are adequately met. IPMA emphasises that satisfaction and novelty-related experiences are crucial factors in enhancing revisit intentions, while also underscoring the need to ensure dependable access to information and prompt digital assistance. By establishing STTs as pivotal drivers within the expectation-confirmation framework, this study elucidates how digital systems shape tourists' cognitive and emotional paths toward loyalty, offering destination managers and platform providers strategic blueprints for enhancing revisit intentions through technology-driven experience design and service quality.