Kindness and humanity - Cultural values that need to be preserved and promoted in the ancient town of Hoi An

Hoi An people live in the heart of the heritage, own the heritage, and benefit from the heritage, so they have a strong sense of responsibility for preserving, restoring, and promoting the value of this unique cultural heritage. Photo: DANG MINH TU

Simple, gentle, unhurried, honest, straightforward, open, kind, polite… are their outstanding qualities. Preserving and promoting this “kind and humane” lifestyle in the context of integration is posing a number of issues worth pondering.

Kindness

Meritorious Artist Nguyen Trung Hieu, 75 years old, a famous documentary film director of the Southern region, visited Hoi An. When he reached the area of the Japanese Covered Bridge, his leg hurt due to a relapse of arthritis. Seeing him walking with difficulty, a local resident came out of his house to ask him questions and then took a motorbike to the parking lot to rest and wait for his relatives.

Mr. Ngo Truong Tho, a retired cadre, and his friends from old Da Nang stayed at a hotel on Cua Dai Street. At midnight, he suffered from hemorrhagic cystitis. He reported to the receptionist and in a moment, an ambulance from a volunteer group arrived, free of charge, to take him to Da Nang Hospital for emergency treatment.

A group of tourists from the North stopped by shops in Hoi An to choose clothes and supplies. When they left, they were very embarrassed because they didn't buy anything, but the sellers still smiled and happily invited the customers to come back when they had the chance.

Seeing a hole appear on the road leading to Cam Nam bridge, which could easily cause pedestrians to fall, while waiting for the authorities to come and fix it, a resident automatically bought cement and sand to patch it up. When it rains heavily and the water floods a road with dangerous potholes underneath, the residents nearby automatically make temporary signs to let vehicles know to avoid it.

When a funeral procession passes through the old quarter, many people step out onto their porches and stand silently, bowing their heads in farewell, even though they may not know who the deceased is. When seeing an elderly person crossing the street, students and young people do not hesitate to stop and help guide them across safely…

The good news is that the above actions are not isolated but very common, becoming a way of life and regular behavior of residents of the ancient town of Hoi An.

Not only are they small actions in daily life, the "kindness" of Hoi An people is like a red thread that silently connects the community, helping people treat each other with more emotion than reason, with more kindness than calculation.

That is what makes Hoi An not only a place to go, but also a place to return, where every step of the traveler touches people's hearts, where beauty lies in the mossy old town and more importantly, lies in the kindness and tolerance passed down through generations.

As director Tran Van Thuy said, those are “kind things”. The kind things of Hoi An people are formed through a long process, passed down from generation to generation.

From gratitude to ancestors to today's behavioral culture

The historical, natural and social conditions of Hoi An have significantly contributed to shaping the lifestyle and character of the people here. Hoi An is a land rich in cultural and historical heritage with nearly 1,500 ranked, inventoried and managed relics. The attraction and charm of Hoi An to tourists is because this place is a "living museum".

Inheriting the heritage from ancestors, showing gratitude to ancestors through traditional festivals such as festivals commemorating the founders of professions, festivals to worship tutelary gods, festivals to celebrate saints, festivals of beliefs and religions... Cultural activities and festivals expressing gratitude to ancestors as above certainly sow in people's hearts good seeds of morality and lifestyle.

It is the people who are the main factor that creates Hoi An's charm for tourists. Photo: DANG MINH TU

Hoi An people live in the heart of the heritage, own the heritage, and benefit from the heritage, so they have a sense of responsibility for preserving, embellishing, and promoting the value of this unique cultural heritage.

When studying the people of Quang, writer Nguyen Ngoc was right to conclude that: "Humans are always the product of a certain nature and history, shaped by that natural environment and history; on the other hand, humans themselves also shape that nature for themselves, and make their own history."

Therefore, preserving and embellishing the ancient town of Hoi An is also protecting the good qualities in the lifestyle and way of life of Hoi An people.

Recently, in the face of the trend of integration and development, the residents of the ancient town of Hoi An have more or less changed, many houses in the heart of the old town have changed owners. Those responsible for preserving Hoi An's cultural identity have reason to be concerned.

The project “Hoi An - pure and kind people” was issued by the leaders of the old Hoi An city in that context. In fact, most of the project's content has been implemented by the original Hoi An people in their lives for a long time, and was only compiled to mainly remind the younger generation and new residents. When the project permeates life, the soul of this ancient city becomes more profound.

Promoting heritage values from the people of Hoi An

As mentioned above, the attraction of Hoi An lies in the fact that it is a “living museum”, in which heritage and people are closely related. If the ancient town is planned, restored and embellished seriously, it will be the premise to preserve and promote the good qualities in the lifestyle and way of life of Hoi An people.

The old city of Hoi An has been divided into 4 administrative units, so the planning, restoration, embellishment and promotion of this cultural heritage will certainly face many difficulties. In order for the above task to be implemented smoothly, here are some suggestions:

- The implementation of the planning for conservation, restoration and promotion of the value of ancient urban heritage should be assigned to a functional center of the city instead of the wards. Only then can the unity of this famous ancient urban area be protected. And the center should inherit all the regulations and management rules of the former Hoi An City Monument Management Center, because this place has over 40 years of experience.

- Relic management requires a team of staff with in-depth knowledge, high professional qualifications, and especially passion for the cultural cause. While waiting for training and development of this team, it is advisable to invite experts who previously worked at the Hoi An Relic Management Center as consultants, because in reality, they completely meet the above requirements.

- The project "Hoi An - pure humanity" is very meaningful in restoring, preserving and promoting good qualities in the lifestyle, way of living, and interpersonal relationships of Hoi An people, so it needs to continue to be widely deployed in the political system, agencies, organizations and all classes of people, because forming habits and lifestyles always requires a long-term process.

The living environment and the cultural heritage system of Hoi An play a very important role in shaping the character and personality of Hoi An people, and the people of Hoi An will contribute to preserving and protecting the cultural heritage system here. More importantly, the people are the main factor that creates the charm of Hoi An for tourists not only domestically but also internationally .

The "kind and humane" way of life of Hoi An people in an ancient urban environment rich in cultural and historical heritage, when preserved, promoted and spread, will likely become another cultural heritage in the future.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/nhan-tinh-thuan-hau-gia-tri-van-hoa-can-gin-giu-va-phat-huy-o-do-thi-co-hoi-an-3308282.html