Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a shifting concept, and so is the way we perform our research in this area. In Vietnam, since the 1990s, Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS), a research and education institution being established in 1971 under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has been the leading agency in monitoring and implementing the National Target Program on ICH safeguarding. With a primary focus on making inventories of ICH elements, VICAS has contributed mainly to the establishment of a database containing a vast number of ICH still images, documentaries and written reports. Some lost and endangered ICH elements have also been restored and revived thanks to the efforts of VICAS researchers. However, while the achievement is undoubtedly significant, ICH inventory making and documentation seem to be insufficient to capture the dynamic nature of ICH.