This designation opens up many opportunities for local socio -economic development, especially in the fields of tourism and services. However, after more than a quarter of a century of preservation and promotion, the heritage value still faces many challenges and concerns and has not yet met expectations.
The pride of Quang Nam
According to Ms. Ho Thi Thanh Lam, former Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee from 1997 to 2007, the idea of Quang Nam having a world cultural heritage site emerged after the Hue Imperial Citadel Complex became Vietnam's first world cultural heritage site (December 11, 1993) and Ha Long Bay was recognized by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site (December 17, 1994).
Therefore, immediately after the province was divided (1997), the leaders of Quang Nam province began considering preparing a dossier to request UNESCO recognition of the My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An Ancient Town as World Cultural Heritage sites.
In 1997, the cultural sector began the process of compiling documentation. Hoi An benefited from this relatively easy task due to the abundance of available documents; however, information on My Son was scarce because the towers were almost completely destroyed, prompting the province to request assistance from the Ministry of Culture and Information.
Ms. Ho Thi Thanh Lam shared that the World Cultural Heritage title brings many opportunities and pride to Quang Nam. The biggest opportunity is attracting investment in conservation activities, promoting the value of the heritage, and boosting local socio-economic development. The challenge lies in preserving the heritage and ensuring its benefits for the local community.
Heritage brand
In Hoi An City, the title of World Cultural Heritage site has truly become the foundation, springboard, and driving force for socio-economic development, promoting continuous growth in tourism and services, and contributing to the creation of resources for reinvestment in the conservation and preservation of heritage values.
According to statistics, in the last 15 years, over 400 historical sites have been restored with a budget of approximately 150 billion VND. Hundreds of wooden houses in the Old Quarter have been reinforced and saved from collapse. Many traditional festivals have been revived and developed, organized regularly to serve tourists.
In particular, the heritage brand has brought about a breakthrough in tourism development. In the initial phase, the average growth rate of visitors to Hoi An reached about 20% per year; specifically, in the period from 2016 to 2019, the average growth rate of total visitors reached 36.83% per year before the COVID-19 pandemic appeared. While in 1999 only over 202,000 tourists visited and stayed in Hoi An, by 2024 this number had increased to 4.426 million, approximately 22 times higher.
Similarly, the impact of the heritage designation on the My Son temple complex is also very clear. Through support from the governments of Italy, India, and Japan, many architectural structures in groups A, H, K, E, G, etc., have been restored and preserved effectively. In 2024, My Son welcomed approximately 457,000 visitors, surpassing the 2019 peak (before the COVID-19 pandemic).
However, the process of preserving and promoting the value of the two heritage sites also faces many challenges that need to be addressed. Mr. Nguyen Minh - former Vice Chairman of the Duy Xuyen District People's Committee - believes that the current issue at My Son is not only the need to diversify tourism products and services, but also to share benefits with the community. The people must benefit from the heritage status it brings.
"While I was still working, I directed the development of a tourism project in My Son, extending to the surrounding area around Thach Ban Lake, in order to diversify destinations and provide livelihoods and jobs for the local people. However, for some reason, it has not been implemented to this day," Mr. Minh said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Su, former Secretary of the Hoi An City Party Committee, argued that any development, any stage, has its challenges. Currently, Hoi An's first challenge is the overexploitation of ancient houses for profit; the overcrowding of the old town, causing many risks, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere, even polluting the environment, not to mention the risks of fire and explosions…
“Of course, these problems are difficult, but they can still be solved with proper spatial planning. Currently, Hoi An has received many accolades, which is a source of pride, but it also creates pressure; we must find a way to maintain these accolades, to meet the expectations of tourists, so that Hoi An always remains a place everyone wants to return to… This is not simple,” Mr. Su said.
According to Mr. Su, it is time for tourism activities to also focus on the quality and sustainability of products and services, and to maintain the reputation and affection of tourists.
"In particular, we must recognize that the benefits enjoyed by the people also contribute to preserving the heritage, so we must aim for sharing benefits, whether directly or indirectly, with the community," Mr. Su pondered.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/tu-di-san-van-hoa-the-gioi-3151111.html
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