All visitors are required to buy tickets when entering Hoi An ancient town, even for walking around.

According to the plan to strengthen the management of the Hoi An Ancient Town Tour Guide, which has just been issued, all visitors to Hoi An Ancient Town are required to buy entrance tickets. Local residents will be given a separate path.

When the plan is implemented, visitors to Hoi An ancient town will be required to buy entrance tickets. Photo: Hoai Van

On April 3, speaking with Tien Phong, Mr. Nguyen Van Son - Chairman of Hoi An City People's Committee ( Quang Nam ) said that the City People's Committee has just issued a Plan to strengthen the management of tour guide activities in Hoi An Ancient Town.

The plan will be implemented from May 15. Accordingly, Hoi An will apply the mandatory requirement to buy entrance tickets at ticket counters before entering Hoi An ancient town for all domestic and foreign tourists. The ticket price is 80,000 VND/ticket for domestic visitors and 120,000 VND/ticket for international visitors. The time for selling entrance tickets to the Old Quarter is from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., daily in the summer, and until 9 p.m. in the winter. The authorities will separate the main roads into the Old Quarter. Accordingly, there will be 2 separate entrances, one for local people and one for tourists.

Hoi An will divide traffic into two paths in the old town, one for tourists and one for locals.

Hoi An city leaders said that requiring all tourists to buy tickets when visiting Hoi An ancient town is to ensure fairness for both locals and tourists.

“Tourists must buy tickets when entering the Old Quarter. Because according to the decision to recognize Hoi An Ancient Town as a World Cultural Heritage, the entire landscape of the Old Quarter is a heritage, not just a single relic. Moreover, revenue from ticket sales is used to restore heritage, renovate infrastructure in the Old Quarter, organize tourism events, and support local people in renovating their houses. All funding for this implementation comes from ticket revenue. Therefore, all visitors to Hoi An Ancient Town must be responsible for buying tickets. In case locals and tourists stay in Hoi An for a long time, there will be a separate identification plan and a separate entrance," Mr. Son explained.

In addition, for those entering the Old Quarter for work purposes at businesses and restaurants, there will be no fee, but that unit must ensure that its customers enter the Old Quarter for the right purpose. If an inspection discovers that they are visiting, the restaurant or business unit will be fined.

According to Hoi An city leaders, tourists coming to Hoi An without buying tickets like before not only causes loss of revenue for the city but also affects tourists who have to buy tickets and are disadvantaged by having to jostle.

"Many tourists come without buying tickets but still enjoy other tourism products such as watching bai choi, enjoying the activities of the Old Quarter Night but do not contribute anything, even littering and forcing Hoi An to bear all of it is not fair. Moreover, if tourists continue to come in droves like that without buying tickets, still jostling and affecting other tourists coming to Hoi An to admire the scenery of the old town, many people will be dissatisfied and they will also complain" - Mr. Son said.

Hoi An City People's Committee assigned Hoi An City Culture - Sports and Radio - Television Center to organize tourist guide activities in the Old Quarter, and will coordinate with relevant local agencies and departments to implement specific contents.

To implement this plan, from now until May 15, Hoi An city will hold a press conference to inform and meet all travel agencies, Minh An ward will also meet with all residents to inform and guide implementation.

According to Tien Phong