"Digital Anthropology in Vietnam: Trends, Potential, and Prospects"

With the technological integration of the 21st century, the world faces many major changes. Inventions such as mobile computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) have established multi-layered interfaces between individuals and the world. Therefore, anthropology must abandon perspectives from the past, which were based on subjective classifications rooted in colonial thinking. Anthropology must embrace the more empowering and collaborative viewpoints of the decolonization era. Anthropological practice must become more comprehensive, and research more socially oriented. In this new anthropology, researchers aim to apply digital tools and methodologies to create inclusive, participatory, and empowering community projects.

Against this backdrop, the conference "Digital Anthropology in Vietnam: Trends, Potential, and Prospects" was organized to assess the capacity of Vietnamese anthropology to meet the demands of digital development. Specifically, the conference focused on clarifying the following issues:

• The state of Anthropology practice in Vietnam in the face of the emergence of new digital possibilities.

• Core issues in participatory anthropology practice in Vietnam in the shift toward digital anthropology.

• Theoretical and practical issues in the development of collaborative digital anthropology in Vietnam.

• New interdisciplinary approaches and innovative themes to promote multifaceted digital anthropology in Vietnam.

• Current digital tools and methods for creating change in Anthropology in the context of globalization.

On behalf of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Professor Pham Quang Minh (Rector of the University) delivered the opening remarks at the conference.

From an international cooperation perspective, the Rector highly appreciated the significance of the conference and considered it a sign of the internationalization strategy that the University is implementing. The conference was attended by many international scholars and researchers from RMIT University in particular and Australia in general. This created an atmosphere of integration for the conference.

From a scientific perspective, the Department of Anthropology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities in particular, and Vietnamese anthropology in general, has made a historical turning point by approaching a new issue such as digital anthropology. Starting with ethnology and then conventional anthropology, to keep pace with the digital age, Vietnamese anthropology has transformed itself in line with this trend.

From a technological perspective, digital technology presents both opportunities and challenges for anthropological researchers. Digital technology expands the research space, providing a wealth of resources. On the other hand, it creates difficulties in preserving confidential and private information, and raises ethical concerns for research. Therefore, anthropological researchers in Vietnam need to anticipate and appropriately address the strengths and weaknesses of digital technology.

Following the opening ceremony, the workshop was divided into three sessions with 11 presentations:

Session 1: “Theoretical Studies” with presentations: “Digital Anthropology in Vietnam, from Theory to Practice”, “A Differentiated Perception for Multifaceted Digital Anthropology in Vietnam – Grasping the World Through Individual Empowerment”, “Breakthroughs in Social Sciences and Humanities in Vietnam through Digital Anthropology”, “Towards an Index of Digital Inclusion”, “Applications of Digital Anthropology in Disaster Research in Ethnic Minority Regions”.

Session 2: "Trends" with presentations: "Nowhere to be without a phone: The experience of ethnic minority youth in online communities", "Knowledge, online media and the spread of social trends in Vietnam", "Empowerment through digital technology for socially and culturally disadvantaged groups in ethnic minority tourism in Vietnam".

Session 3: “Potential and Prospects” with presentations: “The Potential of Digital Anthropology in Lao Cai”, “Assessing the Advantages and Disadvantages of Several Digitalization Methods in Museums”, “Digital Anthropology and its Impact in Museology: The Case of the Museum of Ethnology in Vietnam”.