Introduction: Interrogating heritage and development in contemporary Vietnam

This introduction presents the special issue focus on the contemporary heritage boom and development processes in Vietnam. Over the past two decades, the topic of cultural heritage [di sản văn hoá] has gained significant popularity in Vietnam—among policymakers, local authorities, and researchers and in broader society. Today, heritage commonly features in both national and provincial development agendas. Whereas Đổi Mới [Renovation] processes, socioeconomic change, and transition have been central topics in the academic study of Vietnam, heritage plays an increasingly important role in shaping both national and local identity narratives amid broader processes of social and economic transformations.