The Dialectical Nexus Between Cultural Value Dimensions and Heritage Product Commitment: A Multi-Theoretical PLS-SEM Analysis of Traditional Fish Sauce Consumption Patterns in Urban Vietnamese Marketplaces

This research explores the intricate relationship between cultural value dimensions and consumer loyalty towards traditional Vietnamese fish sauce, a heritage product embodying century of culinary identity. Employing a multi-theoretical framework that synthesises Hofstede's cultural dimensions, Consumer Culture Theory, and Heritage Identity constructs, this study investigates how cultural value orientations mediate consumer-product relationships in rapidly modernising urban Vietnamese marketplaces. Methodologically, the research adopts a sophisticated quantitative approach, utilising Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with data collected from 427 urban Vietnamese consumers across three metropolitan centres. The analysis is complemented by fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to unveil complex configurational patterns. The epistemic trajectory reveals that collectivism, long-term orientation, and uncertainty avoidance significantly influence heritage product commitment, while power distance exhibits differential effects contingent upon consumer demographic variables. The fsQCA results illuminate multiple sufficient pathways to heritage product loyalty, suggesting equifinality in consumer commitment formation. Theoretical contributions emerge through the conceptualisation of a Cultural Heritage Consumption framework that transcends conventional binary oppositions between tradition and modernity, instead positioning heritage product consumption as a dialectical negotiation of cultural identity within globalised marketplaces. Practical implications include strategic approaches for heritage product marketing that leverage authentic cultural dimensions while acknowledging the hybridity of contemporary Vietnamese consumer identities.