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Luxury and communism are perceived to be ideologically incompatible values. Prior to the end of the Cold War, luxury tourism and socialist economies had an accommodating relationship and were rationalised at the national level for foreign exchange revenues, showcasing national development in some instances and finally promoting leisure and political education. However, contemporary scholarship on political ideology and luxury tourism is limited given changes in the political and tourism domain over the last two decades. The start of luxury travel and increasing private promotion in Vietnam comes at a time where the communist regime is hurriedly developing the economy at a breakneck speed. Key cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have become the forefront of luxury travel for Vietnam. Luxury malls, fine dining and five-star hotel resorts have sprung over the years in tandem with Doi Moi (economic restructuring). Tourism literature has seldom ventured into regime politics and luxury tourism. Using a historical approach, the chapter traces the preamble of luxury tourism in the age of Vietnam's modernity. A critical assessment of contemporary luxury tourism in Vietnam reveals a favourable relationship with socialist principles.

Drought and salinity intrusion aggravated by climate change threaten agricultural livelihoods in Viet Nan's Mekong Delta. In response, authorities have built water management infrastructure for irrigation and salinity protection. This study assessed the impact of one such project, the Ba Lai dam in Ben Tre province, on the livelihoods of aquaculture farmers.

This study uses the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to assess the impact of the Ba Lai dam on the livelihood capitals of 18 farming households in four communes, located both upstream and downstream of the dam.

The authors find that, apart from some positive effects, the dam has also brought negative environmental consequences, such as increased water pollution. The authors also find that farmers have responded to the changes by adapting their livelihood practices.

The samples were relatively small, encompassing four communes in Ben Tre province. On the other hand, this case study is instructive to the many ongoing infrastructure projects in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta.

The project have caused an increase in water-related social conflict.

The case of the Ba Lai dam provides a cautionary example for infrastructure-based water management plans, both in Viet Nam and more broadly. The study suggests the need to strengthen community participation and prioritize impacts of farmers' capital assets when constructing water management infrastructure for climate change adaptation.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of the different factors of destination quality in explaining European tourist satisfaction in Nha Trang city, which has one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world and more than one million international tourists per year. The authors will also make some recommendations to attract more European visitors to Nha Trang and to increase satisfaction, as measured by their intention to return in the future.

A sample of 356 European visitors participated in this study. A structural equation modelling was applied in order to test the relationship between the constructs, and to evaluate their reliability and validity.

The results indicate satisfactory reliability and validity of the constructs and support the five hypotheses within a structural equation modelling. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating the roles of different factors in explaining tourists’ satisfaction. Specially, in some previous studies, the composition of the destination quality such as accommodation, food services, the retail and souvenir shops and destination attractions has a great impact on domestic tourist’s satisfaction. While the study found that the biggest factor affecting European tourist’s satisfaction was the friendliness and hospitality of the local people in Nha Trang city.

Future studies should test the difference in satisfaction with the quality of destinations of European tourists to Nha Trang city. Research sample surveys should be collected in order to the magnitude and priority of key European tourist markets such as Russia, England, France, Spain and Germany. In addition, future studies should include more representative samples in other cities and include both domestic and international visitors. The proposed model intends to combine some components of tourism behaviour dimensions (value, involvement, knowledge, ambivalence, certainty, preference, trust, etc.) to test the satisfaction and destination intentional loyalty within this multidimensional perspective in a tourist destination context. The study has not considered the relationship between the increase of Russian tourists to the Nha Trang city in recent years and the decline of the European tourists (England, France, Spain, and so on). Thus, future studies should extend the model to have a more comprehensive picture about the cultural differences and cultural conflict in explaining the loyalty destination of European tourists.

Based on the research findings, the paper strongly recommends the city government to build an image of Nha Trang with friendly and hospitable people. Schools, tourism companies, and local authorities should pay attention to education and training to raise public awareness for tourism development and respect for tourists. The local government needs to develop activities to help the city residents become the typical citizen in the eyes of European tourists, contributing to the sustainable development of tourism in the city.

This study explores and tests the different factors of destination quality in explaining European tourists’ satisfaction. The research findings confirm that different dimensions of perceived destination quality are important variables to explain European tourist satisfaction.

This paper aims to examine the management status quo of archaeological heritage in Vietnam seen in the case of Vuon Chuoi, a complex of Bronze Age sites located in Central Hanoi, which has been believed to be Hanoi’s first human settlement. Like other archaeological sites located in urban areas, this site has been under threat of destruction caused by land encroachment pressure. Although researchers have long waged a campaign for preservation, the dissensus among key stakeholders and the dispute over responsibility have left this site at the heart of an interminable polemic over legislation.

This research utilises a qualitative approach, and the primary data were collected throughout multiple field trips in 2019 and 2020. Several open-ended interviews were conducted with various state and nonstate actors involved in the Vuon Chuoi Complex’s management process. The discussion was also supported by analysing related legal documents retrieved from national archives and official online directories.

This paper dissects the current legislative and administrative framework applied in governing heritage in general and archaeological sites in Vietnam, in particular. The results indicate that existing flaws in Vietnam’s legal system are detectable, and the unsystematic organisation has led to deferment of the decision-making processes. Also, there is an apparent difference found in the attitude of the bodies in charge toward the treatment of listed and unlisted sites.

This research outlines that in the wake of urbanisation and industrialisation in Vietnam, a consensus among key stakeholders and an inclusive legal system are required to help preserve archaeological sites in urgent need of attention. Although several Vietnamese laws and regulations have been put into practice, they have shown critical barriers and gaps in conserving Vietnamese cultural heritage.