Phan, Xuan DungQuah, Say JyeTo, Minh Son2026-05-212026-05-210260-2105WOS:001094159600001ORCID:/0000-0001-9139-8859/work/215076907ORCID:/0000-0002-7762-815X/work/215079332https://hdl.handle.net/1885/733809238Vietnam's initial response to Covid-19 was conspicuous for various reasons, including how its attempt at securitisation drew deeply from historical narratives, symbols, and traditions specific to the Vietnamese experience, as well as how the securitisation project was not simply top-down and state-driven but also featured ground-up participation where the public was mobilised to participate in and actively reiterate securitisation practices. This richly textured empirical case study of the workings of Vietnamese society and politics represents an invitation to explore key debates surrounding securitisation theory. Reflecting on the empirical material of the case, this paper builds on scholarship seeking to highlight the shortcomings of the Copenhagen School's model of securitisation and from there further explore securitisation theory and its limits. It takes aim at how the audience and its agency is conceptualised in the theory and develops the notions of 'historical resources' and 'activation architecture' to more adequately explain the processes of securitisation.The authors would like to thank the reviewers and editor for their helpful suggestions. We would also like to thank everyone who commented on an early version of the paper presented at the inaugural Association of Mainland Southeast Asian Scholars Biennial Conference. The authors would also like to state that all three co-authors were equal contributors. Say Jye would like to state that the research started when he was employed at the Asia Competitiveness Institute, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.22enCopenhagen SchoolCovid-19VietnamAgencyHistorical narrativesSecuritisation theory202310.1017/S0260210523000529