Erik Harms

This conference will be held at Dalat University (DLU) between June 16-19, 2026. Co-organized by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, it will bring together anthropologists from Vietnam and other countries to assess the growth and internationalization of the Anthropology of Vietnam over the past two decades. 2026 marks the twenty-year anniversary of the founding of Anthropology (Nhân Học) as a formal academic institution in the Vietnam National University system. The timing also aligns with a period of growth in the Anthropology of Vietnam across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. Building from these achievements within Vietnam and abroad, the conference focuses on how increased international collaboration can work synergistically with efforts to decolonize Vietnamese anthropology. The choice of conference location is purposeful. Located in Dalat, a city at the gateway to Vietnam’s Central Highlands, DLU is a minority-serving regional university supporting a new generation of scholars interested in the social sciences. The location helps make anthropology accessible in a region where anthropological research has long been carried out but access to anthropological training has been limited. Additional conference activities will foreground conference organizers’ commitment to fostering international collaborations that are guided by the agendas of Vietnamese students and scholars from a wide range of ethnic and regional backgrounds.