Walking street "leads the way" to night economy

Tran Phu Street in Hoi An Ancient Town (Hoi An Ward). Photo: QUOC TUAN

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The concept of “walking street” in Hoi An ancient town first appeared in 1998 when the locality launched the product “Old Town Day in Hoi An ancient town” (later called “Hoi An ancient town night”). In 2004, Hoi An officially launched the project “Walking street and non-motorized vehicles”, applied to most of the core area of the ancient town, recently expanded to Phan Chau Trinh street.

After more than 20 years of persistent maintenance, the “Walking Street and Non-Motor Vehicles” in Hoi An has created a great resonance and significantly contributed to making Hoi An a global tourism brand. The formation of the “walking street” associated with the unique identity of the ancient town has helped Hoi An receive many related international honors.

In 2024, GuruWalk - a unit specializing in providing free walking tours in the world , ranked Hoi An in the top 100 most wonderful cities in the world to explore on foot. Also in 2024, Tran Phu Street was voted by Architectural Digest (USA) as one of the 71 most beautiful streets in the world. Recently, Hoi An was ranked number one in the top 5 most charming historical centers in Asia by the online travel site Tourlane (France), with the important criterion for evaluation being walking space.

Another walking street that has recently attracted a large number of tourists to experience the nightlife when coming to Da Nang is An Thuong tourist area (Ngu Hanh Son ward). This walking street has been deployed by the local government since 2022 to create a vibrant space for people and tourists to visit, entertain, enjoy cuisine , and shop on the most beautiful and modern tourist streets along the coast of Da Nang.

With a convenient location, An Thuong tourist area also has activities extending to My An beach so that visitors can swim, surf... During holidays, there are also many special activities such as carnival street dance, street music...

Meanwhile, Bach Dang walking street (from Dragon Bridge to Tran Thi Ly Bridge, Hai Chau Ward) will officially open in June 2024. The walking street space is located on the extended Bach Dang street (1.2km long), operating from 3:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. every day of the week.

After more than a year of operation, Bach Dang walking street has organized many music and art performances; festivals, events, art activities, street food... At the same time, the space of Bach Dang walking street also connects with the walking street across Nguyen Van Troi bridge and Tran Hung Dao street, as well as across Dragon bridge to create a tourist highlight for Da Nang city, especially at night. According to the pilot plan approved by Da Nang City People's Committee, the implementation time of Bach Dang walking street will last until the end of 2028.

Night economy lever

Walking streets in general in Da Nang currently concentrate on a variety of commercial and tourism services such as restaurants, hotels, spas, bars, etc. to provide tourists with the best entertainment and shopping destinations, especially at night, in the context of increasing demand for night travel experiences.

A corner of An Thuong tourist area (Ngu Hanh Son ward). Photo: XUAN SON

Across the country, it is not uncommon for a locality to have many walking streets, but to have a walking street with its own unique features like Da Nang is something special. If the walking street in Hoi An ancient town gives visitors a sense of depth and nostalgia, the walking street in the center of Da Nang gradually takes on the appearance of a vibrant and bustling entertainment center. These neighborhoods are less than 30km apart, so visitors can easily experience both places during their trip to Da Nang.

According to experts, it is necessary to rely on the characteristics of these walking streets to continue to improve the product, associated with the tastes of the tourist market. Mr. Vo Phung, Vice President of the Da Nang City Tourism Association, said that it is not easy for a tourism product that has existed for more than 25 years and is still loved by tourists, so the "Old Town Night" program in Hoi An ancient town needs to continue to be refined, associated with the deep, quiet space of the old town. In addition, it is necessary to strictly manage the operation of electric bicycles, and these vehicles should not be allowed to operate in the old town during the operating hours of the walking street.

With the An Thuong tourist area, the People's Committee of Da Nang city has decided to spend more than 100 billion VND to invest in the An Thuong tourist area project phase 2. The highlight is the construction of a central square, combined with sports, including an outdoor stage, a relaxing seat, a water music floor, trees, exercise equipment and a lighting system... With a number of entertainment services deployed after 0:00 a.m., the An Thuong tourist area continues to be upgraded and invested in the period from now until 2027, promising to make this area an indispensable destination for international visitors at night when coming to Da Nang.

Mr. Phung Quang Thang, Chairman of the Vietnam Green Tourism Association (Vietnam Tourism Association) said that if night-time economic services are well exploited and attract tourists, the value they bring can be dozens of times higher than the income earned during the day at that destination. To have an impressive night-time tourism product, the most important thing is the cooperation between tourism businesses and local destination management agencies.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/pho-di-bo-dan-loi-kinh-te-dem-3310001.html