Social Science and Human Research Bulletin

Safeguarding the cultural heritage of the Khmu (Khơ Mú) people in Nghe An requires attention to living practices and to the relationships among communities, authorities, cultural professionals, educational institutions, and market actors. This study analyses stakeholder roles, potential tensions, and governance conditions in safeguarding and promoting Khmu cultural values. Qualitative document analysis integrates heritage-management scholarship, Vietnamese legislation, UNESCO instruments, and publicly documented initiatives in Nghe An. Evidence is interpreted through stakeholder analysis and participatory-governance concepts without claiming field interviews or original survey data. The synthesis identifies five connected governance problems: uneven decision authority, event-centred transmission, weak coordination between documentation and everyday practice, the separation of craft promotion from community benefit, and limited evidence of long-term outcomes. A five-stage SHARE framework-Stakeholder recognition, Heritage co-mapping, Authority and consent, Resource and benefit agreements, and Evaluation of continuity-is proposed. Safeguarding and promotion should be treated as a negotiated, community-accountable process rather than an accumulation of festivals, digital records, or market products. The framework offers operational questions for local planning while requiring subsequent field-based assessment.

Khmu people, cultural heritage, stakeholder governance, community participation, Nghe An, cultural management, heritage safeguarding

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