Social Capital and Traditional Festival Heritage Governance in Vietnam: Toward Sustainable Community-Based Cultural Management
Nguyễn Thùy Linh
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Abstract:
The study is situated in the context of the exceptionally rich practice and restoration of traditional festivals, with an estimated nearly 9,000 festivals currently held annually in Vietnam. Today, festivals are no longer merely religious customs; rather, they have become a dynamic form of living heritage that contributes to preserving collective memory, strengthening cultural identity, and generating significant economic, political, educational, and cultural-diplomatic benefits. In this context, the objective of studying festival heritage through the lens of social capital theory is to help identify and promote the “core elements” of each festival, transform them into developmental advantages, and ensure sustainability in heritage governance. To achieve this objective, the article adopts an interdisciplinary approach within cultural studies, combined with methods such as secondary data collection and analysis, participant observation, and in-depth interviews. The research findings show that approaching social capital as a mode of preserving traditional festivals can help local heritage managers propose solutions for safeguarding and promoting culture that are both consistent with community conventions and consensus and effective in cultural preservation, while also delivering benefits across multiple dimensions.
Keywords:
traditional festivals, social capital, heritage governance.
Citation: Nguyễn Thùy Linh (2026). Social Capital and Traditional Festival Heritage Governance in Vietnam: Toward Sustainable Community-Based Cultural Management. Horizon J. Hum. Soc. Sci. Res. 8 (1), 175–184. https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2026.v8.n1.id1359.p175
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