Touring reflexive heritage: sustaining the tradition of the Hung Kings in contemporary Vietnam

Both tangible and intangible heritage are closely associated with notions of ancestral lineages, social memories and nationhood. In this regard, heritage is essential in the creation and elaboration of national and cultural identities. It is critical to note that heritage serves as a symbolic embodiment through which people can construct, reconstruct and communicate their sense of national belonging. It is intangible as well as tangible dimensions of national heritage that enable nationals to experience their nationhood and, thereby reinstating a sense of national belonging and cultural unity (Park, 2011). It is often assumed that the tangible and physical elements of heritage, such as buildings and monuments, mainly contribute to the process of national identification. However, it should be noted that both tangible and intangible elements of heritage are of fundamental significance in facilitating emotional and sentimental attachment to a nation, particularly within domestic heritage tourism contexts.
In this light, heritage tourism can be one medium through which the ‘felt history’ of a nation (Connor, 1993: 382) is re-emphasised and productively communicated. Therefore, heritage tourism experiences are expected to play a role in what Hitchcock (2003: 72) terms as ‘intentional agency’, through which ethnic and national identities are constantly reconstructed and reconceptualised and the social communication of cultural differences are stimulated. This paper will be mainly concerned with examining ways in which sustaining the tradition of the Hung Kings is closely linked with maintaining and enhancing national and cultural identities in contemporary Vietnam, particularly in relation to domestic heritage tourism development. Significant focus will be placed on re-appropriating and re-contextualising intricate and complex dynamics between heritage conservation and tourism development. Finally, some suggestions will be made in order to ensure a long term, holistic and sustainable tourism development of the tradition of the Hung Kings.