Nguyen Van Son, Chairman of Hoi An City, shares reflections on the city’s tourism growth, heritage preservation, and the consequences of coastal development.
More than 25 years after being recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO, Hoi An now welcomes between 2,000 and 5,000 visitors daily, with numbers rising to nearly 10,000 on weekends. Tourism has become a key economic pillar for both the city and Quang Nam Province.
In an interview with VnExpress, Son reflects on Hoi An’s journey and the challenges ahead.
Assessing 25 Years of Transformation
More than two decades ago, Hoi An was still a small town with a poverty rate of 20–30%. Today, poverty has essentially been eliminated, leaving only policy-supported households—those without able-bodied workers. The city has made significant progress in environmental quality, urban scenery, heritage preservation, and overall living standards.
The most notable achievement has been the complete preservation of the ancient town’s architectural heritage. Once on the verge of collapse, many deteriorating relics have now been restored, retaining their historical value. Traditional craft villages and folk arts have also been revived.
Hoi An has balanced preservation with sustainable tourism development by leveraging its ecological, cultural, and heritage assets. Over the past 25 years, tourism has grown from just 500,000–700,000 visitors annually and minimal ticket revenue to 4.6 million visitors in 2024, more than 60% of whom are international tourists.
The Achievement He Is Most Proud Of
According to Son, the city’s greatest success lies in its approach: for the community, based on the community, and serving the community. Poor management or overexploitation of heritage can lead residents to resist or reject it.
Heritage, he emphasizes, is best preserved when it brings tangible benefits to local people. Hoi An’s policies have consistently prioritized residents, empowering them to protect and enhance the heritage while improving their livelihoods.
Many locals have prospered through business operations, property leasing, and tourism services. Some heritage houses valued at VND50–100 billion (US$2–4 million) are now rented out for around VND100 million (US$3,800) per month. Residents who once merely lived in heritage houses now actively conserve, restore, and promote traditional lifestyles within the ancient town.
The Greatest Regret
Son acknowledges that in the early stages of tourism development, Hoi An pursued an open-door investment policy to attract businesses—a necessary step at the time. However, the long-term environmental and landscape impacts were not fully anticipated.
Resorts were permitted to occupy large stretches of coastline, disrupting fishing villages and traditional coastal life. The destruction of casuarina forests accelerated coastal erosion, causing significant shoreline damage. Today, the government must invest heavily in embankments and protective infrastructure to mitigate these consequences.
