Ruins and renewal: imperial heritage, tourism and re-enchantment in contemporary Hue, central Viet Nam

The paper is concerned with Viet Nam’s imperial heritage, its ongoing re-invention and commodification in the post-socialist present. Focusing on Hue, the imperial capital of the country, the paper examines how royal ruins currently emerge as a unique heritage that is commodified as a tourist attraction for local and international audiences. Hue with its citadel and royal tombs was declared a ‘World Heritage Site’ in 1993 by UNESCO and since then it has been promoted as a key tourist destination by the Vietnamese state. As a result, the citadel, the royal tombs and many temple complexes in and around Hue have been transformed into sites where a multitude of actors are drawn together to partake in rejuvenated ritual acts. Royal descendants are re-discovering ‘traditional’ forms of worship, local pilgrims are engaging in searches of blessings, and droves of foreign tourists explore the country’s glorious imperial past. The paper examines how the redeployment of Hue’s citadel and tombs as a national and international resource has led to their rediscovery as active religious sites and places of worship. In this regard, the paper seeks to consider the impact of international and domestic tourism on local society and culture in new light. Rather than focusing on the pressures and challenges of upholding and preserving cultural authenticity against the perceived onslaught of tourists I focus on the opportunities presented by the opening of the royal complex to the international tourist market.  

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Roy Huijsmans