Hoi An welcomes more than four million visitors a year, but most of them never pay to enter the old town's ticketed sites. That was the central question at a workshop in Hoi An on Saturday, October 17, organized by the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hoi An World Heritage Conservation Centre, with nearly 200 delegates, according to Tuổi Trẻ and Báo Đà Nẵng.
Tuổi Trẻ reported that about 4.4 million visitors in 2024 produced roughly 1.78 million ticket purchases, and that nearly 5 million visitors in 2025 produced about 1.71 million, a ratio near 35%, a figure attributed to Phạm Thị Thanh Hường of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam. Báo Đà Nẵng reported that from 2012 to July 2026 the old town recorded 19.2 million ticketed visits and more than 2,000 billion dong (about 2 trillion) in ticket revenue.
Hường said most visitors enjoy the heritage setting without contributing directly to its upkeep, and proposed linking housing and residency policy to heritage management, more repair support for households living in historic houses and a way to return tourism revenue to residents. Phạm Phú Ngọc, director of the conservation centre, said the 30-hectare core holds 1,175 relics, more than 80% privately or collectively owned. Researcher Nguyễn Thị Huệ warned that if old houses become purely commercial, Hoi An risks losing its cultural life.
What is planned
Heritage officials described directions rather than decisions: extend tourism to satellite villages such as Kim Bồng, Thanh Hà, Trà Quế, Cẩm Thanh and Cu Lao Cham; digitize relics; sell e-tickets; and manage visitor capacity. The Da Nang Tourism Association said Hoi An's tours are repetitive and called for deeper cultural and night-time products. Neither report gives timelines or budgets, and the ticket price was not stated.
Sources
- Vì sao đón 4-5 triệu lượt khách mỗi năm nhưng chỉ 1/3 người mua vé vào phố cổ Hội An?
- Xây dựng Hội An trở thành điểm đến du lịch chất lượng, xanh, sáng tạo và bền vững
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