Tuổi Trẻ asks in a feature published October 28 what other World Heritage towns have done about a problem Hội An knows well: old streets with plenty of visitors and shops but fewer residents. The article, by Thái Bá Dũng, compares Hội An with George Town in Malaysia and Salzburg in Austria.
What the report says about Hội An
Hội An has more than 1,100 heritage sites in its special protection group, according to the article. It says only about 20 to 30 percent of them still have people living and carrying on daily life there, while many houses are used as shops or rentals. Over roughly the past ten years the town has tried to control distorted business activity, redesign streets, manage visitor flows, restrict vehicles at set hours and widen pedestrian zones.
The paper credits the old town's conservation regulations with helping preservation. Other ideas, including housing or rent support to bring residents back, homestay trials in the core zone and higher ticket prices, have mostly stalled, and some drew mixed public reactions.
Two comparisons
In George Town, listed by UNESCO in 2008, the population of the heritage zone fell from more than 10,000 in 2009 to 7,000 in 2019, a drop of nearly 32 percent. The city answered with a conservation plan issued in 2016 and a grants programme that funded 240 grants for owners and tenants to restore old houses. The article says the gap between crowds and residents remains hard to close.
Salzburg, listed in 1996, has about 155,000 residents and receives millions of visitors a year. It relied on dialogue rather than rules alone: the "Mülln in Dialogue" programme of 2016 to 2018 ran workshops, surveys, photo exhibitions and field tours where residents voiced concerns. Changes included better street lighting, adjusted bicycle routes and the reopening of a historic cemetery, and the article says UNESCO judged that the programme strengthened community identity.
What experts suggest
The article summarises recommendations from experts at Hội An heritage conferences, without naming them. They include regular surveys of residents in the core zone, with buildings classed as residential, mixed-use or fully commercial. Households that stay should get help with repairs, utilities, sanitation and fire safety, and markets, essential shops, traditional crafts and community spaces should stay active.
They also call for regular street-by-street dialogue on noise, traffic and hygiene. Success, the article says, should be measured by how many residents stay, their living conditions, livelihoods and satisfaction, not only by visitor numbers, revenue and restored buildings.
The feature lands as Da Nang's leadership presses Hội An's wards to answer visitor complaints within 24 hours and tighten control of touting in the old town. It is an analysis of options, not an announcement: it reports no new decision on residents or rents in Hội An.
Sources
This story was compiled by the Da Nang Voice news desk from the published sources listed above. Facts, figures and quotes are attributed to those sources; Da Nang Voice did not conduct interviews for it unless the text says so. Corrections are dated and noted at the top of the story. Read our corrections policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.
