THE TRANSCULTURATION OF K-POP FANS’ PRACTICES: A CASE STUDY OF “CALL ME BY FIRE VIETNAMESE VERSION”

Abstract

This research examines the transculturation of Vietnamese K-pop fans’ practices through the case study of Call Me By Fire Vietnamese Version, analyzing how these practices shape domestic fandom and contribute to Vietnam’s entertainment industry. Using a mixed-methods approach (an online survey, twelve in-depth interviews, and digital ethnography), the research applies Transculturation Theory (Ortiz, 1940) and Participatory Culture (Jenkins, 1992, 2006, 2015) to conceptualize the show as a contact zone where global fan cultures intersect with local norms. Findings show that while K-pop fan practices serve as a central influence, they are reconfigured through three phases. In deculturation, fans detach their practices from the K-pop context. During acculturation, activities such as social media engagement, streaming, voting, financial mobilization, and fan-driven projects are negotiated and adapted to local conditions, blending various Asian fan influences with individual skills. In neoculturation, a hybrid Vietnamese fandom emerges in which fans shift from consumers to cultural partners, preserving the participatory practices of global fandom while embodying local socio-cultural characteristics, contributing to the professionalization and vitality of the domestic entertainment ecosystem. This process also highlights institutionalization in Vietnam as an ongoing negotiation among fans, artists, and management companies. The research positions K-pop fan culture as a cultural gateway that introduces global practices into Vietnam while enabling Vietnamese cultural products to circulate outward. These insights offer practical implications for media producers and policymakers and expand regional fan studies by demonstrating how global fan cultures integrate into local entertainment industries.