Purpose: This paper provides critical insights into the contextual challenges of researching indigenous people in Vietnam's public sector organisations. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on a study of indigenous employee voice and inclusion in public sector organisations in three locations in the Central Highlands region, the researcher engages in self and methodological reflections to explain the challenges faced. Findings: This paper identifies and discusses the challenging issues of political sensitivity, data access, availability and consistency of quantitative data, and characteristics of indigenous participants in the context of Vietnam. Practical implications: This paper benefits directly those who are interested in researching Vietnam's indigenous people in future. Further, it contributes to the global conversation on the challenges of conducting indigenous research, particularly in reaching out to indigenous populations and obtaining reliable data in order to capture indigenous voice and experiences. Originality/value: There is a dearth of knowledge of indigenous research in non-Western countries where indigenous people are not recognised officially by the government. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by focusing on cultural, political and societal issues of indigenous research from Vietnam.