Struggling with the problem of night tourism.

The An Bang Music and Food Festival has become a pioneering large-scale activity of the night-time economy in Quang Nam. Photo: KL

Hesitation…

In early August 2024, Con Nhan Xu Restaurant Co., Ltd. (Cam Thanh commune, Hoi An city) expressed its intention to organize nighttime music and entertainment events to serve tourists.

Specifically, the business will set up a secluded space away from residential areas to host DJ music shows and other entertainment activities. Admission is free, and the establishment will only sell drinks and food upon request.

"Many foreign partners suggested that I should organize some nighttime activities for tourists to have fun and entertainment while staying in Hoi An, but when I worked with the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hoi An City to inquire about the permit application procedures, I was told that the city does not encourage nighttime service activities in Cam Thanh because of concerns about noise affecting the lives of local residents. Although I regret it, I decided not to do it," said a representative of Con Nhan restaurant.

For a long time, Hoi An has had a number of nighttime activities such as the food street, Nguyen Hoang night market, Hoi An Memory Island or Vinpearl Nam Hoi An… however, these activities are mostly limited in duration and end before midnight.

Even along the coastal road through Dien Ban, Hoi An, and Duy Xuyen, there are still no proper nighttime entertainment venues. This is despite the area being home to large tourist resorts and being far from residential areas, making it ideal for developing nighttime tourism products.

About 10 years ago, the Dien Duong night market area (Dien Ban district) was developed with the aim of creating a place to buy and sell local products, leveraging its advantageous location between Hoi An and Da Nang cities. This was hoped to boost night tourism not only in Dien Ban but also to attract visitors from Hoi An.

However, due to legal regulations and procedures, especially the lack of clear legal provisions regarding night markets, the above goal has not yet been realized.

Lack of policies and planning

On July 27, 2020, the Government issued Decision 1129 approving the Project on developing the night-time economy in Vietnam, aiming to maximize time and opportunities, diversify economic activities, help improve people's income and living standards, and serve the material and spiritual needs of foreigners, especially international tourists.

The nighttime economy will help encourage tourists to stay longer and spend more. Photo: KL

Among major tourist cities in Vietnam such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, Hoi An City has also been authorized by the Prime Minister to pilot nighttime service activities until 6 a.m. the following morning.

Following the government's plan for developing the night-time economy and assigning it to local authorities, the Provincial People's Committee also tasked relevant departments with developing implementation plans, but so far there have been no clear results.

Mr. Le Ngoc Thuan, owner of Deckhouse restaurant in Hoi An, observes that although night markets play an important role in retaining tourists, the current "bottleneck" remains the policy mechanism.

In 2020, Mr. Le Ngoc Thuan organized the An Bang Food and Music Festival for the first time, aiming to create a playground for tourists and generate jobs for local people. After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival has been held regularly once a year since 2022.

Mr. Le Ngoc Thuan shared that, on average, each event costs the unit 200-300 million VND, and the city provides little support, or even no support at all in some years.

"Actually, I do this out of passion and to create a platform for tourists and the community to participate in business and trade. Talking about profit isn't effective, and doing it only once a year doesn't solve anything."

"I think the city or province should have policy mechanisms, especially planning for specific locations like along the Co Co River for example, so that businesses can rent space to organize events regularly," Mr. Thuan suggested.

Developing the night-time economy depends on many factors such as local customs and culture, security and social conditions, and requires appropriate and balanced solutions.

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the province has recently assigned Hoi An City to research and pilot a project to develop nighttime tourism services such as food, festivals, and music... aiming to provide more experiences, encourage tourists to stay longer in Quang Nam, and spend more on shopping.

However, Mr. Hong acknowledged that the province has only developed separate plans for nighttime service products in Hoi An and coastal areas, and does not yet have a separate plan for nighttime service products throughout the province.

“In the future, the planning will focus on integrated activities such as nighttime culinary events, nighttime music, and nighttime entertainment services to attract tourists. Initially, the focus will be on the Hoi An area and surrounding coastal satellites (from Thang Binh and Duy Xuyen outwards, with Hoi An as the center), from which it will expand to other localities,” Mr. Hong informed.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/loay-hoay-bai-toan-du-lich-dem-3140755.html