Is Living Heritage Ignored? Revisiting Heritage Conservation at Cham Living-Heritage Sites in Vietnam

ABSTRACT

This study examines the heritage conservation of the Cham living heritage sites and perceptions of the Cham community in Vietnam. Data were collected using various methods, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and documentation, from a “living” sacred site of the Cham community in Ninh Thuan, Vietnam. This research demonstrates that the conservation of heritage in Vietnam has focused primarily on tangible forms of heritage, while local cultural meanings related to tangible aspects of the Cham temples have not been a central concern in heritage conservation practices. The construction of a new pathway is considered a significant offense to the Cham worldview with respect to cardinality and spiritual practice. Despite this addition’s intention to facilitate access for visitors to this site, the Cham people believe that it contributes to a denigration of the sacred character of their temple and has negative effects on religious views and understandings among members of the community. The findings suggest that Indigenous living heritage and its role in local communities need to be recognized in safeguarding heritage.

KEYWORDS:

• Living heritage
• sacred sites
• heritage conservation
• cultural meanings
• the Cham community
• Vietnam
• Champa
• tourism development

Acknowledgment

This research was carried out with the support of the University of Queensland (Australia) and HUTECH University (Vietnam). This study is a part of the author’s doctoral dissertation submitted to the University of Queensland, Australia. I want to thank my supervisors, Professors Ian Lilley and Annie Ross, for their insightful comments and supports throughout the writing of this research paper.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tuyen Dai Quang

Dai Tuyen Quang (aka. Isvan) is a member of the Cham community in Vietnam. Isvan has previously worked at the Cham Cultural Research Center in Ninh Thuan for 10 years and has 10 years of work experience as a university lecturer. He is currently working for HUTECH University, Vietnam. Isvan’s broad research interests include indigenous knowledge, Champa culture (e. g. Raglai, Cham H’roi, Churu …), living heritage, heritage conservation, and tourism development. He is a co-founder of the Vietnam tourism research network to improve Vietnamese people’s publication capacity in the field of cultural heritage and tourism. He has published his research in several international journals: Current Issues in Tourism, Cogent Social Sciences, Tourism and Hospitality Research.