15 years for an UNESCO World Heritage in Hoi An ~ Sharing Vietnam Travel Experiences

Dec 12, 2014

15 years for an UNESCO World Heritage in Hoi An

By some efforts to preserve and promote heritage values, the ancient town of Hoi An in Quang Nam province has seen many positive changes since it was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site 15 years ago (December 4, 1999).

All people in Hoi An, from officials and civil servants to citizens, as well as all branches and levels of local government, associations, unions and organizations acknowledge their responsibility in preserving and promoting natural and cultural heritages to develop the tourism industry, benefiting the whole community. Over the last 15 years, the most heartening change has been the entire community’s growing awareness.

Hoi An city focuses on raising public awareness of preserving and promoting Hoi An heritage.

The city has also raised VND12 billion (US$562,000) to renovate more than 100 private relics. Thanks to the successful implementation of a project on the emergency renovation of relics in danger of collapse in Hoi An’s Old Quarter, launched in 2005, nearly 100 relics and architectural features of the Old Quarter have recovered from the risk of collapse.

To attract more visitors, a range of unique tourism features have been created including the old quarter’s evening pedestrian-only streets, along with numerous cultural exchanges with foreign countries such as Hong Kong (China), Italy, Thailand, Germany, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

The city expects to make a tourism a key economic sector. All citizens, from the city’s centre to the surrounding villages, participate fully in all economic activities, especially in supporting services for tourism. The change has contributed to making tourism a key economic sector, accounting for more than 68% of the city’s gross domestic product (GDP).

As a result, the economic, social and spiritual life of the city’s people has been increasingly improved, with its per capita income raised from US$417 in 2000 to US$1,558 in 2013. The urban and rural areas are more spacious, greener, cleaner and more beautiful, creating motivation for the authorities to make Hoi An a city of ecology, culture and tourism.

Since being recognized as a World Heritage Site, Hoi An has increasingly asserted its tourism brand. Coming to the city, visitors can enjoy folk culture and arts activities in unique spaces from the riverine old quarter to coastal eco-resorts and the Cu Lao Cham world natural biosphere reserve.

The activities are expected to make Hoi An more attractive and contribute significantly to the development of the city’s tourism and services, creating more financial resources for repairing and upgrading the city’s relics.

Source: Cinet

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