The Asia-Pacific Higher Education Network for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (APHEN-ICH) will hold its 2026 International Conference and General Meeting on 24–26 August 2026 at Vietnam National University–Hanoi
HANOI, VIETNAM — The Asia-Pacific Higher Education Network for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (APHEN-ICH) will hold its 2026 International Conference and General Meeting on 24–26 August 2026 at Vietnam National University–Hanoi.
Under the theme “Living Heritage and Cultural Industries in the Asia-Pacific: Community Creativity, Sustainable Transmission, and Cultural Innovation,” the three-day event will bring together heritage scholars, educators, practitioners, students, and community partners from across the region.
The program will feature an international conference examining community creativity, heritage transmission, traditional crafts, cultural tourism, and digital innovation; an ICH Youth Forum introducing young people to careers and opportunities in the cultural sector; and the APHEN-ICH General Meeting, which will chart the network’s strategic direction for 2026–2028.
The gathering will conclude with a field visit to Đông Hồ Folk Printing Village and Bát Tràng Pottery Village, where delegates will engage directly with artisans and explore how traditional knowledge, community creativity, and cultural industries contribute to sustainable local development.
The event is co-organized by Vietnam National University–Hanoi and the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School–Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics, which serves as the APHEN-ICH Secretariat, with the support of the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific (ICHCAP).