VNUHCM Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

Health Impacts of Climate Change on Precarious Outdoor Workers in Urban Asia: A Systematic Review of Vietnamese-Language and Vietnam-Based Studies

Loc Duc Nguyen — 2025-06-24

Climate change presents severe challenges globally, with developing countries being the most vulnerable due to limited resources for adaptation. Outdoor workers, directly exposed to extreme weather, are particularly at risk of climate-related health impacts. This paper synthesises evidence from Vietnam to examine the health effects of climate change on outdoor workers in urban Asia and identify policy gaps. It provides a pioneering synthesis of Vietnamese-language research on this topic. By analysing Vietnamese-based sources, it uniquely broadens the scope of existing systematic reviews, which typically exclude non-English literature, and offers region-specific insights into urban health risks associated with extreme heat and air pollution. Key findings highlight heat stress and respiratory diseases as primary health concerns, often exacerbated by inadequate protective measures and insufficient support structures. The review identifies a significant research gap, with predominant attention on formal sector workers and minimal focus on informal workers and their adaptation strategies. While employer-provided protective gear is frequently noted, governmental or broader social support for informal workers remains underexplored. This paper highlights the need for interdisciplinary research on climate change impacts across diverse outdoor occupations, with an emphasis on policy development to enhance health protections for vulnerable labour sectors in urban Asia.

Current state of night tourism infrastructure and support services in urban areas of the South Central Coast, Vietnam

Hanh Thi Van Nguyen — 2025-06-30

Night tourism is becoming a significant trend, playing a crucial role in promoting local economic development by increasing tourist spending and extending their length of stay. The South Central Coast region of Vietnam has many advantages for developing this type of tourism, thanks to its favorable climate, beautiful landscapes, and diverse cultural and entertainment activities. However, in reality, night tourism in the region has yet to reach its full potential due to limitations in infrastructure and support services. This study aims to assess the current state of infrastructure and support services for night tourism in urban areas of the South Central Coast, thereby proposing recommendations to enhance the visitor experience. The research methodology includes on-site surveys in various localities and the collection of domestic tourist opinions through questionnaire survey with a convenience sample of 524 people. The findings indicate that public lighting, security, and public transportation are generally well-rated by tourists due to relatively good investment, facilitating mobility, sightseeing, experiences, and ensuring safety for tourists. However, certain limitations persist, such as the short operating hours of convenience stores, shopping centers, and tourist attractions, which create difficulties for visitors engaging in nighttime activities. Based on these findings, the study proposes several recommendations for the effective and sustainable development of night tourism, including upgrading infrastructure and extending the operating hours of service facilities.

Promoting the cultural values of the Xơ Đăng community in developing tourism products from internal and external approaches (A case study of Kon Jong village, Ngọk Réo commune, Đăk Hà district, Kon Tum province)

Lan Thi Phuong Ngo — 2025-06-30

By analyzing the qualitative data collected from the intermittent fieldwork conducted in the Xơ Đăng community in Kon Jong village, Ngọk Réo commune, Đăk Hà district, Kon Tum province from March 2024 to January 2025, the authors argue that building and developing community tourism products rooted in local cultural values is an appropriate solution to contribute to the preservation of ethnic cultural values in the context of rapid integration and development today. Based on the identification of tangible and intangible cultural elements of the Xơ Đăng people, the authors observe that key values such as natural landscapes, architecture, agricultural techniques, resource exploitation, local cuisine, ethnic music, the history of the ethnic group, and the treasure trove of literature and folk arts serve as the foundational values for developing community tourism products.

From both internal and external approaches, the study applies the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model to assess the natural and cultural resources of the Xơ Đăng people as a basis for tourism product development. Additionally, in the current development context, analyzing external factors, especially the socio-economic dynamics at the local level through the implementation of local policies, is essential. The results of the paper show that with the combination of internal and external forces, the community-based tourism model based on indigenous cultural values demonstrates sustainability when focusing on the benefits of the community and locality in aspects such as governmental support and guidance, management mechanisms, and development strategies. Furthermore, the study proposes the 2MAT methodology for integrating cultural values into tourism products.

The Korean cultural identity: From Chunhyang Jeon to Chunhyang flm (2000)

Thong Le Minh Dinh — 2025-06-23

Chunhyang Jeon is a classic Korean literary masterpiece of the Joseon period that profoundly inﬂuenced Korean people's lives from ancient to modern times. This work became the frst source of material for most Korean flmmakers who started the country's flm industry. Director Im Kwontaek's 2000 flm Chunhyang fully revived this work and brought Korean cinema to a brilliant peak. The article analyzes the most typical cultural addresses that appear in the story and the flm, such as the traditional singing art of pansori, the female protagonist built to become a model, and the issue of sexuality - one element creating the cultural value. The article uses interdisciplinary-cultural research methods combined with feminist criticism to examine documents. With a dialogical approach between two artistic texts from a cultural perspective, we want to clarify the appearance of Korean national identity through the collision of traditional and innovative concepts. At the same time, it brings a new perspective to the two works when looking at cultural contributions in the spiritual aspect and thinking about women as part of the nation's history.

The strategies for protecting national maritime and island borders under Emperors Gia Long and Minh Mang (1802–1840): A case study of the seas and islands of Southern Vietnam

Nguyet Thi Anh Nguyen — 2025-06-24

The waters and islands of Southern Vietnam play a strategic role in the protection and development of the nation, serving not only as a natural shield along the southern border but also as a vital hub for trade in Southeast Asia. This paper explores the national maritime border defense strategy during the Nguyễn Dynasty, focusing on the reigns of Emperors Gia Long and Minh Mạng, with an emphasis on the policies to safeguard the maritime territories of Southern Vietnam. In the context of a complex geopolitical environment and rising threats from piracy, the Nguyễn emperors implemented the comprehensive measures to assert and protect the sovereignty over the maritime territories. The Nguyễn Dynasty established a robust defense system, combining military infrastructure, administrative measures, and practical activities such as surveying, mapping, and defining territorial boundaries. These policies not only effectively countered piracy and foreign threats but also asserted the national sovereignty over the seas, laying the foundation for the sustainable development of the nation's maritime economy. Through this, the paper reexamines and analyzes the role of Southern Vietnam's maritime territories in the strategy to protect the sovereignty during this period, providing historical lessons and offering directions for policies on safeguarding and developing seas and islands in the modern context.

The management, preservation, and promotion of the national treasures value of the Oc Eo culture in An Giang Province associated with sustainable tourism development

Tuyet Thi Anh Vo — 2025-06-30

An Giang is a province in the Mekong Delta (Southwestern region of Vietnam). This is also the land belonging to the territory of the ancient Funan kingdom and associated with the Oc Eo culture. The research results have contributed to proving that during the existence of the ancient kingdom of Funan (from the beginning of the Common Era to the 7^th centuries), the central area of Oc Eo – Ba The was one of the important ports and a major religious center. Up to this time, in An Giang province, a large number of relics and objects belonging to the famous Oc Eo culture have been discovered, including 8 unique artifacts recognized as National Treasures. Based on the theory, the practice of survey, and the research on the Oc Eo cultural heritage of An Giang, the article analyzes the characteristics and the special historical – cultural – scientific values of these eight national treasures, thereby identifying the potential of the Oc Eo cultural heritage associated with sustainable tourism development. In connection with that and through the current situation of national treasures and Oc Eo cultural heritage management, conservation, and promotion in general, the article proposes solutions to exploit this heritage value associated with the comprehensive economic - cultural - social development of An Giang province.