Vietnamese Scholar: Toward Comprehensive and In‑Depth China‑ASEAN Cultural Heritage Cooperation
- CAobservation
- Aug 6
- 5 min read
As China and ASEAN forge closer cultural and people-to-people ties and deepen mutual understanding among civilizations, cultural heritage cooperation is becoming an important thread connecting the region. In a recent interview with China-ASEAN Observation, Duong Van Huy, Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Institute for Asia-Pacific Studies under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), explored the civilizational legacy of the overland and maritime Silk Roads, the interaction between local and external cultures, and the role of think tanks in fostering dialogue across civilizations. He also shared his reflections on the importance of engaging younger generations in heritage conservation and the cultural heritage cooperation between China and ASEAN.
Duong has devoted many years to the study of China-Vietnam relations, regional cooperation in Southeast Asia, and exchanges among civilizations. In addition to his current position at the VASS Institute for Asia-Pacific Studies, he has been involved in numerous China-ASEAN people-to-people exchange activities and academic cooperation projects.
How would you describe the relationship between the overland and maritime Silk Roads?
Duong Van Huy: The overland and maritime Silk Roads have long been the subject of extensive discussion, and many museums and cultural venues across China are devoted to preserving and presenting their history. I believe the two were different routes with shared features. Both had China as a point of departure, and trade was one of their original purposes. Merchants from abroad traveled to China in search of silk, tea, porcelain, and other goods. In return, they brought distinctive products from their own countries to the Chinese market.
Trade was undoubtedly a major driving force behind the Silk Roads, but their historical significance reached far beyond the economic exchange. They also opened channels of communication between different peoples and civilizations. Whether they crossed continents or followed the sea, their essential value was the same. Both enabled China and the wider world to meet and communicate. The distinction between them lay mainly in geography and transportation. One extended across land, while the other unfolded along maritime routes.
Wherever merchants and goods traveled, religions, ideas, and cultures traveled with them. Products, beliefs, and civilizations encountered one another and became mutually enriching, creating a two-way exchange between peoples and cultures.
What is your view of the interplay between local traditions and external influences in the development of culture?
Duong Van Huy: That is an excellent question. The development of a country’s culture usually involves both nurturing its own traditions and embracing cultural influences from elsewhere. These two aspects should not be regarded as separate. They develop together and form two dimensions of a single historical process.
The experiences of China and Vietnam offer clear examples. Both countries have encountered and absorbed influences from other civilizations. Dunhuang culture in China, for example, bears witness to the meeting of external influences and Chinese traditions, a process that helped shape distinctively Chinese expressions of Buddhism. Vietnam experienced a similar process. After absorbing influences from China and elsewhere, it gradually developed its own localized cultural traditions.
Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucian culture may have common historical roots, yet wherever they traveled, they took on the character of the societies in which they became established. In this way, they gradually became part of each country’s cultural identity. Civilization itself advances through continual encounters, exchanges, and mutual enrichment. Among neighboring countries in particular, these interactions often reveal a deep foundation of shared values.
How can think tanks and research institutions contribute to dialogue among civilizations?
Duong Van Huy: VASS is not only a research institution but also a think tank. Like its counterparts around the world, one of our key missions is to create a bridge between our country and the wider international community. Our role includes generating knowledge and sharing it with society. We conduct research for the government, providing the scientific evidence and theoretical insight needed to support sound policymaking. This includes studying China and examining issues such as the conservation of Chinese cultural heritage. By deepening understanding in these areas, our research can help the government shape more effective policies for engagement and cooperation with China. We also communicate our findings to the wider public by publishing books and academic papers. As a result, students and the general public can learn more about China and the cultures of other countries. This work is particularly meaningful for younger generations. Greater access to knowledge about different civilizations can deepen their understanding of others and contribute to stronger people-to-people ties and mutual understanding between China and ASEAN.
Cultural heritage cooperation is an essential dimension of China-ASEAN relations. Looking ahead, it should be expanded in both scope and depth. Heritage cooperation is, in essence, an encounter between people. It brings societies closer together, allows them to understand one another better, and helps them uncover the values they hold in common. China and ASEAN have already embraced the vision of jointly building a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, and amicable home. It brings together cooperation in economic development, security, sustainability, friendship, and people-to-people exchanges. People-to-people communication is a vital part of dialogue among civilizations. It can also provide the important foundation needed to place China-ASEAN cultural heritage cooperation on a more sustained and structured footing.
How do you understand the relationship between younger generations and cultural heritage today?
Duong Van Huy: If young people know little about cultural heritage, it becomes difficult for them to understand the long history of exchange and cooperation between countries. Without that understanding, they may lose touch with the historical memories that have connected societies across generations. This is not without risk. Yet there is also much reason for optimism, as growing numbers of young people in China and across ASEAN are showing a genuine interest in cultural heritage. For this reason, any effort to deepen dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations must give cultural heritage a central place. This dialogue matters because friendship between civilizations is built over time and passed from one generation to the next. The exchanges we enjoy today rest upon layers of historical contact accumulated over centuries.
This is my first visit to Dunhuang, and it has made a lasting impression on me. Dunhuang is one of the most remarkable expressions of China’s cultural heritage. What has also impressed me is the way China is using digitization, intelligent technologies, and other advanced tools to reveal the meaning and value of that heritage to the public. From an international perspective, this approach is both effective and compelling.
ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, are also home to an abundance of cultural heritage. However, many still face difficulties in making that heritage more visible, relevant, and engaging to younger generations. These challenges are particularly evident in funding and the application of digital technologies.
ASEAN countries could therefore deepen cooperation with China and learn from its experience in combining heritage conservation with digitization and technologies. This, in itself, is a dialogue among civilizations about how cultural heritage can be understood and renewed in the modern age. It can also create new momentum for stronger people-to-people ties between China and ASEAN.
(If you have specific expertise, or would like to share your thoughts, please send us your writings at CAobservation@outlook.com)
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