Keeping Hoi An warm so that 'the city belongs to everyone'

Inheriting a priceless complex of tangible and intangible heritage, the Hoi An community and state management agencies are increasingly fulfilling their responsibility to preserve the warmth of the heritage space.

Firewood art products of artisan Le Ngoc Thuan - owner of Hoi An Firewood Village - Photo: NGOC THUAN

In the last days of the year, tourists flock to Hoi An City to celebrate Christmas and the bustling New Year. On the streets from Nguyen Tat Thanh, Hai Ba Trung… cars line up to take tourists to transit points before entering the walking street.

In the middle of the Hoai River, boats are bustling with people releasing flower lanterns, allowing visitors to admire the deep streets built like a hundred-year-old rampart on both banks.

The "heritage" is the people of Hoi An

The owner of the ancient house of over 400 square ^meters at 22 Nguyen Thai Hoc welcomed foreign visitors to visit the house with a warm smile.

The story of the host attracts tourists not necessarily because of the coziness of the old house, but because of his natural, gentle, very "Hoi An" way of receiving guests.

His old house is large, located right on the walking street, original, and has been kept by him for several years without renting it out.

He said that just opening the door every day and seeing people passing by, seeing their figures, their breath, and their living habits as a part of the relic of time was happiness.

Bai Choi art performance on Hoi An walking street - Photo: NGOC THUAN

"A few years ago, I read in the newspaper that the chairman of Hoi An City said that the city had a policy of inviting people to return to their old homes to warm up the heritage space.

"I'm very happy to be able to do that. Whether Hoi An is attractive or not depends on the community spirit, the ability to connect people to create a common unity, and the artistic activities on the walking street" - said the homeowner at 22 Nguyen Thai Hoc.

Many tourists who are familiar with heritage tourism experience say that they have been to Hoi An many times but still want to go back. When they go to other heritage sites and compare them with Hoi An, they suddenly realize that what is unique about Hoi An is the presence of people in the heritage.

"Everywhere we went, we saw people living their daily lives. Not showing off or forced, but very natural and honest. The people made us feel curious and familiar, as if we were in our own hometown village" - said Ms. Nguyen Thi Be Ly, a tourist in Can Tho .

25 years of keeping Hoi An warm so that "the city belongs to everyone"

The big turning point was December 4, 1999 when UNESCO recognized Hoi An as a World Cultural Heritage. Hoi An has undergone a miraculous transformation and is now 25 years old as a "UNESCO heritage site".

Heritage and people would not make Hoi An as sparkling as it is today without activities to keep the old town warm.

Since organizing the walking street and systematically planning the business zones, Hoi An is like a young girl with a rustic beauty suddenly adorned with makeup and a rich outfit.

Thanks to artistic activities on the walking street, the vibrant and energetic image of Hoi An is spread throughout the world.

People come to the old town to see the heritage standing by every day. That is just the reason, but the "added value" is the artistic activities.

Artisan Le Ngoc Thuan (left) sells firewood products to customers at an exhibition taking place in Europe - Photo: NGOC THUAN

When the streets are bustling, the community also benefits from trade and business. The intangible essence and handicraft products have the opportunity to be displayed for tourists to admire and enjoy.

Tourists are more curious and visit craft villages and nearby tourist attractions in greater numbers.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the time when the passion for the soul of Hoi An is most evident. There are days when there are few customers, nights when artists put on their best performances on the streets but only a few customers.

Sadness and anxiety are evident on every face. Or there are times when we have to prepare carefully for the day of return with a lot of money and enthusiasm. But then the epidemic comes back, and artists have to helplessly wait for the difficult days to pass.

"UNESCO Creative City" gives wings to artisans and craft villages to fly further

In October 2023, Hoi An joined the UNESCO Global Creative Cities Network. Vice Chairman of Hoi An City People's Committee Nguyen Van Lanh likened this to "the second UNESCO Cultural Heritage Award" for the ancient town. With its rich intangible cultural tourism resources, being named in the UNESCO Global Creative Cities Network is like adding wings, bringing craft villages and artisans of Hoi An further, reaching the world. Hoi An also implemented many solutions to stimulate creativity that brings benefits to the community, creates opportunities for the disadvantaged, and promotes sustainable tourism... Some Hoi An artisans such as Le Ngoc Thuan (Firewood Village), Vo Tan Tan (Ta Boo Hoi An) continuously bring their products to exhibitions around the world. Hoi An's joining the network also promotes new creative models such as Handicraft Village, Happiness Shop ... "This is a great result of Hoi An's handicraft artisans, thereby creating conditions for handicraft production establishments, artisans, skilled workers to exchange and share their professions and orient product development at the unit in accordance with the market" - Ms. Truong Thi Ngoc Cam - Director of Hoi An Culture, Sports and Radio and Television Center, shared. Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giu-hoi-am-cho-hoi-an-de-pho-la-cua-tat-ca-moi-nguoi-20241213111441598.htm