Part 1

• Introduction: The heritage and development nexus in Southeast Asia: convergences, tensions and openings Câm Hoang Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Peter Larsen University of Zurich
• After superstition? Heritagization and the re-emergence of Xoe and Then ritual processes Cham Nguyen Vietnam Academy of Social Science

  Xoè and Then - the two important ritual practices of the Thai and Tay - have been undergoing major changes. During the High socialism, the employment of selective conservation to build “new culture, new socialist people” had led to the situation that only artistic and performative elements were selected and preserved. Against the backdrop of this preservation policy, although the Xoe and then rituals were still practiced by the people to fulfill their spiritual needs, their practice was conducted in a non-public manner. After heritagization, especially after Then and Xoe were inscribed in UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Xoe and Then rituals have re-emerged as significant cultural practices among both the Thai and the Tay. The heritagization, therefore, reinforces the theatricalization of the artistic element of the two heritages, but at the same time it also promotes the re-emergence of both Xoe and Then ritual processes.

• Staged identities: State-sponsored heritage performances as ritualized spectacles in Vietnam Franziska Nicolaisen Mirjam Le Universität Passau

  Women in Ao Dais with conical hats dancing on a stage, students forming the geo-body of Vietnam, and musicians playing traditional instruments are part of the recurring cultural performances staged at official occasions in Vietnam. These shows follow a fixed, repetitive order that seemingly represents the essence of Vietnamese cultural heritage. Embedded in state-sponsored events, these cultural representations are part of an idealized state discourse on national identity and belonging, which can be adapted to the shifting geopolitical goals of the Vietnamese government. However, motives, symbols, narratives, and meanings appear unrelated to the respective audience, creating the impression of a ritualized spectacle that serves the reaffirmation of the Vietnamese state.
  In the framework of recent discourses on heritage, this paper analyses the role of cultural performances at state-sponsored events as a means of governmentality, performative politics, and to propagate the hegemony of a predefined Vietnamese identity. We use ethnographic methods such as participatory fieldwork and qualitative visual analysis of online videos of selected events to define recurring narratives as well as identify the underlying motives embedded in these performances.
  The paper distinguishes three distinct dimensions of these ritualized heritage performances: (1) the idealization of Vietnamese identity and history to reaffirm the Vietnamese state, (2) the stylization of Vietnamese heritage for cultural diplomacy, and (3) the visual commodification of culture to market Vietnam to a global public. In this process, staged identities are enshrined that reinforce a homogenous Vietnamese sense of belonging.

• The Heritagization of a Violent Past: Dynamics of memory and spiritualism in battlefield tourism in Vietnam Ha Lan Tran Tam Ngo NIOD Thanh Huong Bui Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
• Changing Heritage Discourses and Policy Making in Vietnam: Communities and Intersection between Heritage Policy and Development Nguyen Thi Hien School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Arts, VNU_Hanoi Peter Larsen University of Zurich Trang Thi Thu Nguyen Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

  The evolution of heritage policy in Vietnam has been deeply intertwined with changing heritage discourses. Over time, Vietnam has recognized and valued cultural heritage as a crucial aspect of national identity and development. Various policies and laws have been enacted to safeguard and promote heritage, emphasizing the importance of economic and social benefits for the nation’s development. The paper will demonstrate the shifting heritage discourse through the analyzing the policy making of the Decree No. 65 in 1945 on the protection of relics through the Decree in1957 on the protection of historical, revolutionary relics and scenic sites and then the Ordinance on Protection and Use of Historical, Cultural Relics and Scenic Landscapes in 1984. Subsequently, in the 1990s, a heritage study and documentation together with the other policies was conducted broadly, leading to the adoption of the first law on cultural heritage in 2001. The revised Law on Cultural Heritage, which is set to be presented to the National Assembly in 2024, aims to enhance the management of heritage and adapt to societal changes, emphasizing sustainable development and community involvement.
  This paper will explore the significance of changing heritage discourses and policy-making in Vietnam in relation to the shaping of national identity making. Secondly, we explore implications for wider community engagement practices and development dynamics.

Part 2

• Heritage in Development: Transformations and Imaginations of ?ông Cuông temple in Yen Bai, Vietnam Annuska Derks Thao Huong Cao Vietnam Academy of Social Siences

  Over the past four decades, ?ông Cuông temple in Yên Bái province has developed from a small bamboo temple into a large temple complex and national heritage site. The temple has become a popular religious and spiritual destination, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year who attend the famous temple festivals, participate in lên ng performances, and pray to the Mother Goddess of the Forest (M?u Th??ng Ngàn) for peace, luck, and fortune. In this paper, we discuss these transformations in relation to provincial politics of heritagization and development, the resurgence and invention of religious and spiritual practices, and the creation of inequalities in wealth and ethnicity. We focus particularly on the commodification and commercialization of the heritage site, objects, and practices, as well as the different, sometimes conflicting, interests of the diverse stakeholders involved, including state officials, provincial authorities, local entrepreneurs, ethnic religious experts, Kinh shamans, and the local Tay Khao population. Drawing on ethnographic research in and around the temple, we ask how Oscar Salemink’s (2021) notion of “heritage as appropriation and dispossession” might be a productive lens for analyzing the transformations of ?ông Cuông temple—and what this tells us about the imagined pasts and futures of this heritage site.

• Appropriating for possession: Heritage, competition and demonstration of identity in a sacred place Dang Xuan Huong Pham Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Ha Do Thi Thu Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences

  Dong Cuong temple in Yen Bai province has long been a central site for the Tay Khao people to worship the gods of rivers and mountains and other historical figures central to the genesis and distinct histories of local villages. It is, for example, considered to be the main venue to worship the Mother Goddess of the Forest (M?u Th??ng Ngàn) belonging to the Vietnamese belief system of Four Palaces. It is also an indispensable pilgrimage destination for those who worship the Mother Goddess, especially on the occasion of festivals. The temple has recently become a spiritual site equally shared by communities of Kinh mediums performing trance rituals and Tay Khao shamans practicing sacrificial rites festivals or Then dancing (xoe) to worship the Mother Goddess. Such spiritual complexity, we argue, prompts attention to the pluralization of rituality, and in the context of this panel, challenges us to rethink the role of agency in heritage sites and development processes more broadly. Specifically, based on the case of Dong Cuong temple, we argue that the relation between cultural heritagization and marginalization involves overlapping practices of competition, cultural appropriation and invention. These forms not only include top-down or external factors but also bottom-up dynamics of “culture carriers” linking identity, power and tradition in new and unexpected ways to re-possess the ritual space. This presentation seeks to unpack such dynamics and clarify the positionalities.

• Dinh Sinh, Quan Seu, Chua Trang: In those three villages, people still have a fulfilled life without hard argricultural work Linh Nguyen Vrije University

  The lyrics referenced are a poignant reflection of the historical prosperity embedded within the collective memory of Thanh Lieu, Khue Lieu, and Lieu Trang, three traditional villages nestled within the Tan Hung ward, formerly known as Hong Lieu. This oral tradition, passed down through generations, encapsulates bygone eras’ narratives. Notably, during the Initial Le Dynasty, Mr. Luong Nhu Hoc, having twice served as an envoy to China, imparted his expertise in professional techniques to the denizens of these villages. The art of printing and engraving woodblocks burgeoned notably during the Revival Le Dynasty and Nguyen Dynasties, culminating in the renown of the Hong Lieu printing village. Eminent artisans were summoned from far and wide to partake in the meticulous craft of woodblock engraving and printing, catering to the burgeoning demand for literary works and the propagation of religious and ideological tenets within feudal society. However, the advent of modern printing technologies in the 19th century precipitated a gradual decline in traditional woodblock carving and printing, leaving only a scant four households in Thanh Lieu village steadfast in revitalizing and preserving this ancestral craft while others diversified into alternative carving endeavors like seals and tombstones. To face this situation, some of Thanh Lieu’s young artisans have sought new directions to revitalize and preserve traditional handicrafts. Drawing from empirical observations, interviews, and analyses of these traditional craft villages, this paper delves into the motivation for heritage competition among traditional artisans and how they contribute to reviving heritage in the context of the relationship between the community (craft villages, artisans, people) on the one hand and the state agencies (culture, archives) on the other. Additionally, within the sector of traditional woodblock carving and printing, each stakeholder assumes the mantle of a “culture bearer,” thus perpetuating the legacy of their forebears and ensuring the resilience of cultural heritage in the face of contemporary challenges.

• Heritage and development nexus seen from dark tourism at Ha Lò Prison in Hanoi An Tran Thi School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Vietnam National University

  Dark tourism, a term for “sites of death and disaster” that emerged since the late 19th century, gradually became quite popular in the 20th century with many popular destinations around the world. In a country with many wounds of war, both in a physical and emotional form, like Vietnam, dark tourism is not only attractive to international tourists, but also offers profound historical lessons to the locals. This essay will examine the tourist activities and events at a war relic that still exists in the heart of Hanoi capital to discuss the heritage and development nexus in Vietnam’s post-war opening era.
  Key words: dark tourism, Ha Lò Prison, experiential travel, war heritage, heritage discourse.

Abstract