Figures presented at a mid-October conference on Hội An's old-town tourism suggest that many of its historic houses no longer have residents, VnExpress reported on October 26. The conference, "Phát triển du lịch đô thị cổ Hội An", was organised by the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hội An World Heritage Conservation Centre. The report warns the old town risks being "hollowed out".
Nguyễn Đức Bình, chief of the Da Nang People's Committee office and a former Party secretary of Hội An ward, gave the rent figures. Recent rents for state-owned houses have reached VND 100–200 million a month, and a corner property near the Japanese Bridge went above VND 300 million. On Bạch Đằng and Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai streets, rents run VND 60–120 million a month, and businesses often pay VND 3–4 billion upfront for one-to-three-year contracts.
The report says about 40% of homeowners have left, and that roughly 95% of those holding land-use certificates in the old town have sold or leased their properties. It cites just over 3,000 residents in 2023 and says only 20–30% of heritage sites were actually lived in during 2024.
Around 30% of core-zone owners are from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, according to the same report. Of nearly 200 houses managed by the state, more than 100 are slated for commercial auction.
Former Hội An Party secretary Nguyễn Sự said old houses once combined living, worship and small trade, but most are now purely commercial. He called for a state fund to buy houses when heirs have to sell, and for leases to original owners at preferential rates. He also proposed monthly stipends for residents who maintain heritage houses and priority for local tenants selling specialties such as Kim Bồng woodcraft and Thanh Hà pottery.
Phạm Phú Ngọc, director of the Hội An World Heritage Management Centre, proposed a scheme to "keep residents in the old town", using calibrated rents, homestays and cultural or creative spaces. A property broker quoted in the piece called the exodus normal market behaviour and said heritage rules have kept order stable.
Da Nang authorities are studying state-property management cautiously. The People's Committee office has asked the city's housing management centre and Hội An ward's People's Committee to draft a detailed plan that balances heritage protection with residents' livelihoods.
Sources
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