Tangible cultural heritage has long been a recorder of social development and is often subject to environmental or human intervention that threatens its preservation, so accurate documentation of tangible cultural heritage is essential for its maintenance and preservation. The rapid development of digital technology and the rise of artificial intelligence in recent years have enabled the documentation of tangible cultural heritage with greater precision and effectiveness. Currently, there are relatively few articles summarizing and reviewing digital documentation techniques for tangible cultural heritage. In this context, this study conducts a systematic scientometric review of digital technologies applied in tangible cultural heritage documentation, spanning 2003–2023 through Web of Science data mining and dual-tool visualization analysis (VOSviewer 1.6.19 and CiteSpace 6.2.R4). The findings reveal evolutionary trajectories from photogrammetry to AI-driven solutions, identifying blockchain-based preservation and metaverse applications as frontier domains. This synthesis establishes a predictive framework for technological convergence in heritage conservation, providing strategic insights for UNESCO’s 50th-anniversary digital transformation agenda.