Decoding Attractiveness in Living Cultural Landscapes: A Geo-spatial MCDM Framework for Highland Markets Amidst Territorial Restructuring in Vietnam

Abstract

The resilience of living cultural landscapes depends on the equilibrium between ancestral authenticity and the structural shifts of territorial reconfiguration. This research decodes the multi-dimensional attractiveness of highland periodic markets within the geo-cultural amalgamation of Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang. Rather than viewing administrative changes as a mere logistical challenge, this study frames the current provincial merger as a strategic window of opportunity to redefine regional competitive identity. Moving beyond static descriptive accounts, the study employs a hybrid multi-criteria lens, integrating Fuzzy-AHP and TOPSIS, as a structural framework to navigate the granular and subjective perceptions of 33 multidisciplinary experts. The analysis identifies cultural value and experiential authenticity as the primary determinants, where the agency of ethnic communities and the preservation of material heritage serve as pivotal factors. Through the TOPSIS algorithm, Meo Vac Market emerges as the benchmark of resilience, where a high nature quotient converges with the micro-social interactions of diverse ethnic groups. This study argues that in the wake of administrative mergers, attractiveness is not a static asset to be managed but a dynamic outcome of community agency leveraged through visionary public policy. The proposed framework provides a cognitive tool for regional governors to navigate the nature–culture nexus, ensuring that territorial restructuring acts as a catalyst for revitalizing the cultural distinctiveness that defines the region’s global appeal.