Ancient Town of Hoi An, Viet Nam∗
Following Hoi An’s inscription as a World Heritage Site in 1999, the town experienced a tourism boom. At that time, the service providers as well as tourist activities were concentrated along Tran Phu and Le Loi Streets, which led to a large gap in income between the property owners in these streets and those residing
in other streets. To encourage a more equitable redistribution of economic
benefits and decongest Tran Phu and Le Loi Streets, the Hoi An authorities initiated in 2000 a revitalization programme to develop tourism services along Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. Funds were mobilized to restore 26 ancient houses along this street. Of
these restored houses, 20 have been re-used for residential and commercial purposes, two as exhibition centres and museums, two as offices, one as a communal house and one as a traditional craft workshop.
Property owners in the street were granted licenses for businesses such as tailoring shops, art galleries and souvenir shops, that had been previously restricted to Tran Phu and Le Loi Streets. Other types of services were also encouraged, such as home-stays, renting or leasing properties to businesses and tour services.
At the same time, cultural and performing arts activities, such as singing of folk songs on the fourteenth night of every lunar month, were organized to attract tourists.
At present, there are nearly 200 small businesses in Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. The street has become a popular alternative destination for tourists, which has reduced the income gap among heritage property owners in the affected streets and minimized
congestion along Le Loi and Tran Phu Streets. Improved equality in income distribution between homeowners has also provided the property owners with incentives and resources to maintain their heritage buildings.
Conversion of old houses in the old quarter of Hoi An into commercial spaces, such as shops and restaurants, has been actively promoted by municipal authorities. While this has been successful in terms of generating tourist revenue, it has come at a cost of
degrading the integrity of the heritage assets. Very few traditional shops catering to the residents remain in the old quarter and family residency has been significantly reduced. In many cases, the historic owners lease the house for commercial
purposes and move to peripheral areas to live. In other cases they stay in the building, but most of the available space (usually three quarters of their house) is reserved for the “living museum”. Thus, while the exterior and the structure of buildings are well conserved, the functions of buildings and the living environments have radically changed.
While local government officials and business owners view these changes in the old quarter positively, tourists are beginning to notice the loss of authenticity of Hoi An. According to visitors, the old quarter of the town is becoming a museum display, lacking in life and interest for tourists. Hoi An residents are very proud of their “Hoianian” identity, the town’s World Heritage status and their unique intangible heritage. Local residents are aware that traditional skills and products need to be kept alive in order to conserve their town, to continue to attract tourists and to inspire new cultural products.
Residents have been creative in developing new cultural products based on their traditional resources. For example, lanterns were not traditionally made in Hoi An, but the skills and materials (bamboo and silk) used to make these products have deep roots in Hoi An and the surrounding Quang Nam Province. This “new product” is therefore possible because of the existing cultural resources in Hoi An. Similarly, while paintings are not traditionally a product of Hoi An, this art form has developed because of the existing artistic skills and styles of Hoi An residents.
Local residents are also very proud of their traditional festivals. Maintaining the authenticity of such cultural practices is difficult, however, because of the high demand by tourists for such events. Many traditional forms of performance and rites have simply become entertainment for tourists and are therefore losing their original meaning and purpose. Likewise, activities that were once part of locals’ daily life are now presented as if in a theatre, and at inappropriate times, and therefore have little meaning or community function. For example, fishing in the river is often just a show for tourists to earn money whenever tourists take photographs. Similarly, traditional rituals are practiced for tourist entertainment, rather than for spiritual reasons. Such activities are now at risk of no longer being practiced for their traditional purposes.
While tourists have a demand for cultural events, at the same time they desire experiences which are meaningful to the local residents. Therefore, providing cultural practices as entertainment risks creating a perception of artificiality among tourists, who may then lose interest and go elsewhere.
You are required to answer all the following questions using the provided case study to illustrate the explanation and argument.
- Identify the values of cultural resources and their significance in the case study. (20 points)
- Tourism has offered new opportunities and benefits to the people of Hoi An however there is evidence that changes brought about by tourism are not all positive. What are the positive and negative impacts on cultural resources as the result of tourism expansion in the case study? (20 points)
- What should be the key concepts of heritage management in the case study and how can these concepts be put into practice in order to mitigate undesirable trends? (30 points)
- How can we find the balance between the development and the protection and conservation of cultural identity? Explain in detail how this balance can be achieved in an actual plan. Use the case study provided or heritage management plan in a cultural site in Thailand or elsewhere to illustrate your explanation. (30 points)
Submission date: 18 December 2015 by email to kpinraj@chula.ac.th