From Prison to Heritage: Memory Governance,Justice,and Posthumanism at Colonial Prisons in Vietnam

Abstract

This article critically examines the transformation of colonial prisons in Vietnam—Hỏa Lò, Côn Đảo, and Phú Quốc—into heritage sites and memory tourism destinations amid the cultural economy and postcolonial governance. Using an interdisciplinary framework that integrates contested heritage theory, posthumanist assemblage thinking, and public heritage law, the study explores how these sites are reshaped through legal norms, memory politics, technological mediation, and affective tourism. Drawing on document analysis, field observation, media discourse, and stakeholder interviews, the research identifies three governance models: theatricalized memory at Hỏa Lò, spiritualized commodification at Côn Đảo, and static musealization at Phú Quốc. While each reflects efforts to revitalize national memory, they also reveal tensions—such as the marginalization of alternative narratives, commodification of suffering, and lack of inclusive legal frameworks. Situating the Vietnamese cases within global debates and examples, like Robben Island, Seodaemun Prison, and the Changi Chapel and Museum, the article proposes a pluralistic, ethically grounded model of contested heritage governance. It advocates for community co-governance mechanisms, legal safeguards for memory rights, and alignment with international principles like the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The study contributes to global memory justice scholarship and offers a posthumanist rethinking of prison heritage as dynamic assemblages of human and nonhuman actors, emotional infrastructures, and sociolegal entanglements.