Visitors at a restaurant in Hoi An (Photo: VNA)Quang Nam (VNS/VNA) -The ancient city of Hoi An is being challenged by mass tourism, trafficcongestion, underdeveloped waste management, vendors, street food quality andpoor design and operation of homestays that have badly impacted theUNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site.
Noise anddust pollution, unfair competition among tourism services and harassmenthave all been recorded in recent years.
Owners ofcenturies-built houses had leased them out, leaving a spiritual void in the cityfor generations of its people.
Theseproblems were recently discussed and raised by managers of hotels, resorts,restaurants, travel agencies, the local administration, architects and culturalresearchers at a meeting on how to improve the quality of tourism services in HoiAn.
Vice Chairman of the Quang Nam Tourism Association Vo Phung said the OldQuarter covering just 1sq.km hosted at least 10,000 visitors each day,creating pressure on vulnerable infrastructure, architecture, the environmentand traffic.
Thegentle lifestyle of the old streets had been replaced bynoisy vehicles, annoying vendors and street food carts, Phung said.
Deputy Directorof Hoi An’s Information and Culture Centre Nguyen Phuong Dong said the OldQuarter had become overloaded over the past 20 years since it wasrecognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
“Althoughwe charge locals 80,000 VND and foreigners 120,000 VND to enter, the OldQuarter still hosts from 10,000 to 13,000 visitors each day, which isthree times more than it can take,” Dong said.
“At least8,000 visitors flock into city from 3pm to 9pm, and it’s chaos.Sometimes, it's difficult for local residents and tourists to move comfortablyin the pedestrian area,” he said.
Luu Van Anh, a restaurant owner in Hoi An, suggested new night performances andart spaces should be built on An Bang Beach, Tra Que Village or Phan BoiChau Street to create more options for visitors in the evening.
“Thereare no more options for tourists at night. The city could hostnighttime entertainment, markets and art performancesto ease congestion in the Old Quarter,” he suggested.
“Morepedestrian bridges should be built over the Hoai River because An HoiBridge gets really busy at night. Street art plans for Phan Boi Chau – outsidethe Old Quarter – have yet to be realised, along with activities or events atnight. Shops often close at 8pm, except restaurants, cafés and spas,”Anh said.
TranThanh Chau, from Silk Sense Resort and Spa, said a tourism database shouldbe developed to identify different classes of tourists before proposing asolution for the overloading.
He saidthe city could offer a 50 percent discount for entrance ticketsbetween 8am and 2pm, which would help reduce numbersduring rush-hour (from 3pm to 10pm).
Tran TanVan, Chairman of the Vietnam Architects Association, warned that ancient architecturein Hoi An would be damaged due to redecoration or redesign.
“Thearchitecture is a priceless heritage for Hoi An's people,” he said.
“Moreshopping centres and entertainment spaces, art stages, fashion stores, a nightmarket and pedestrian streets should be created to reduce congestion,” headded.
Van saidthe city should move its administrative centre and stage agency buildings tooutside the Old Quarter to reserve more space for tourists.
Tran ThiNgoc Dung, from the city’s Information and Culture Centre, said 302 homestayshad been established in the city with a total of 1,100 rooms.
“Homestay serviceshave been booming, from six places with 31 rooms to 302 with 1,187rooms in 2018, creating 1,000 jobs and revenue of 13.7 billion VND,” Dungsaid.
“Homestays now looklike two-star hotels thanks to a decor makeover, but they're still lackingcultural activities,” she said.
“Tourists need tojoin in community activities such as going to the market, cooking or evengoing to a family wedding or party.”
Pham My, a touroperator, said most homestays in Hoi An focused on room service ratherthan community-based lifestyle and cultural exchanges.
“It’s false in termsof design and architecture. Rural houses in Hoi An's suburbanareas must be restored to what they were in the past,” My explained.
“Street food is alsopoor and takes up space. Vendors badger tourists to buy fruit, tofuand toys,” he said.
My added thateye-catching souvenirs were rare in Hoi An, only clay toys, lanternsand poorly designed carpentry could be found.
He said local residentsshould be educated about environmental protection, waste management andrecycling, and food safety.
Phan Xuan Anh, a touroperator at Saigontourist, said the environment needed cleaning up in CamThanh commune and An Bang Beach.
He suggested homestayowners should improve their English and knowledge of history andculture to offer support for tourists during their stay.
Hoi Anreleases 33,500 tonnes of rubbish each year, but there is no standardwaste processing plant in the city.
The city welcomed 1.7million tourists in the first nine months of the year, of which 1.4 millionwere foreigners, earning 198 billion VND (8.6 million USD), a 28 percent jump from thesame period last year./.
VNA
