From sacred spaces to learning spaces: integrating intangible cultural heritage into urban heritage education in Hanoi

This article examines how vernacular religious spaces can function as sites of heritage governance and institutional mediation within heritage education for upper secondary students in contemporary Hanoi, through two comparative case studies: the Phù Đổng historical complex associated with the legend of Saint Gióng and the West Lake Palace (Phủ Tây Hồ Shrine), a major centre of Mother Goddess worship in urban Vietnam. Drawing on theories of social and cultural capital and conceptualisations of heritage as a social process, the study adopts a qualitative, comparative design integrating survey data, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation. The findings show that positioning students as active participants within sacred and semi-regulated heritage spaces not only enhances heritage awareness but also reconfigures social capital as a governance resource, mediating relationships between educational institutions, heritage communities, local custodians, and heritage authorities. These sites emerge as arenas of negotiated authority where policy frameworks, moral legitimacy, and community participation intersect in everyday heritage management. The article contributes to heritage studies by framing heritage education as a form of applied heritage governance and outlining implications for participatory heritage management in rapidly changing Southeast Asian urban contexts.