Development by other means? Localising environmental, social, and governance principles in tourism governance in Vietnam

Abstract

This paper examines how environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles are interpreted and reconfigured by tourism stakeholders in Phu Quoc, Vietnam, an ecologically fragile yet rapidly commercialising destination. Drawing on longitudinal qualitative research with tourists, residents, and service providers, the study explores how ESG norms are not universally applicable, but are locally redefined through situated ethics, affective learning, and everyday negotiation. Participants articulated place-based understandings of sustainability that diverged from technocratic metrics, foregrounding contested notions of responsibility, voice, and development control. Findings reveal tensions between ESG ideals and practical constraints such as affordability, regulatory opacity, and limited participation. The paper argues for a decolonial and participatory reframing of ESG governance, one that centres the epistemic agency of Southern communities and foregrounds relational accountability. In doing so, it contributes to critical debates on inclusive sustainability governance, aligning with SDG 11 and broader calls to vernacularise global frameworks within community-led development practice.