After the implementation of a two-tiered local government model, many previously established regulations for the entire town are no longer suitable, leading to overlapping management, preservation, and development of heritage.
Overlapping management of relics
According to statistics from the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Centre, Hoi An (old) has 1,439 relics, of various types such as archaeological sites, architectural-artistic sites, revolutionary history sites, and scenic spots.
Zone I of Hoi An ancient town alone currently has a total of 1,194 relics, including: 37 relics in the special group; 95 relics in group I; Group II has 220 relics; Group III has 339 relics; the remainder belong to Group IV, which includes both jointly owned and privately owned relics.
After the administrative reorganisation, Hoi An city, Quang Nam province (formerly) was divided into the wards of Hoi An, Hoi An Dong, Hoi An Tay, and Tan Hiep island commune. Based on the demarcation of administrative boundaries, the system of relics, although unchanged, was divided into different management areas.
Hoi An ward, established by reorganising Minh An, Cam Pho, Son Phong, Cam Nam, and Cam Kim wards of the former Hoi An city, currently covers an area of 10.81 km², has a population of over 37,000 people, and plays a central role in the Hoi An heritage urban space, thus having the largest number of relics.
The value of the Hoi An Ancient Town World Heritage Site is not limited to the old town’s residential areas but extends to surrounding areas such as Tra Que vegetable village, Thanh Ha pottery village, Kim Bong carpentry village, and the Cu Lao Cham World Biosphere Reserve…
According to Nguyen Duc Binh, Secretary of the Hoi An Ward Party Committee, the major difficulty currently is the overlapping and conflicting functions, tasks, authority, and responsibilities between the Hoi An World Heritage Conservation Centre and the Hoi An Ward People’s Committee.
The Centre performs specialised tasks related to heritage conservation and management. The Ward People’s Committee is responsible for comprehensive state management in the area. The lack of a sufficiently strong and clear coordination mechanism sometimes leads to fragmented, slow, and confused handling of tasks.
“Some issues fall under the administrative management of the ward but are heavily impacted by specialised regulations on conservation; other issues, while related to conservation, arise directly in the daily lives of residents, businesses, and urban order, so people first report them to the ward government. If these issues are not resolved, responsibility will be divided, violations will not be dealt with promptly, and people will not know which agency has the authority,” said Binh.
In addition, the unique characteristic of Hoi An Ancient Town is that it is a “living heritage.” The people living, working, and doing business in these ancient houses have created the “soul” of the place. However, many households are still living in state-managed historical sites. Relocating and resettling these households faces many difficulties due to the lack of a mechanism.
For example, the family of Hua Van Loc, born in 1960, lives in Nghia Tu historical site, also known as the Temple of the Departed Souls, located at 76/9A Tran Phu Street, An Dinh Ward, within the Level I protected area of Hoi An Old Town.
Loc said that since 1975, generations of his family have lived in Nghia Tu historical site to take care of ancestral worship. Because this is a state-managed historical site, his family has not been granted a land ownership certificate.
“Currently, the historical site is severely dilapidated and very prone to collapse. Due to my economic situation and health issues, my family hopes to receive support for a new place to settle down and stabilise our lives,” Loc shared.
Party Secretary of Hoi An Ward Nguyen Duc Binh, added that since the two-tiered local government came into operation, Hoi An Ward has also reviewed and planned resettlement to relocate households from state-managed historical sites to ensure better living conditions as well as the restoration, preservation, management, and protection of the sites. However, this issue is beyond the authority of the local government.
Furthermore, Hoi An is a central ward, so the land available for resettlement is insufficient. Therefore, the local government requests the Government and Da Nang City to study a special mechanism for the management, preservation, and development of the world heritage urban area suitable for the new model, he noted.
A comprehensive study is needed.
Before the merger, Hoi An City always led in terms of tourism brand value in the former Quang Nam province and had won many international awards. However, the current management space poses many challenges to the operation and preservation of the core heritage area and surrounding areas.
Hoi An is a heritage city, but its value is not concentrated solely within the Old Town area, but extends to the entire ecological, cultural, and coastal region.
Nguyen Hung, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hoi An Dong Ward
Nguyen Hung, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hoi An Dong Ward, stated that Hoi An is a heritage city, but its value is not concentrated solely within the Old Town area, but extends to the entire ecological, cultural, and coastal region.
Sharing this view, Nguyen Duc Binh suggested that it is necessary to strengthen regional linkages in Hoi An based on the concept of “one space - many products - many destinations - one common brand.”
Hoi An Ward plays the role of the heritage core; Hoi An Dong Ward develops the coastal area and resort services; Hoi An Tay Ward develops urban services, traditional crafts, and ecological agriculture; and Tan Hiep Island Commune develops eco-tourism and preserves Cu Lao Cham. Based on this, the city will form interconnected tourism routes.
Recently, at a meeting on economic development orientation and the implementation of the general planning for the communes and wards of Hoi An, Hoi An Dong, Hoi An Tay, and Tan Hiep, the Vice Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee, Le Quang Nam, requested that the localities develop the Hoi An heritage urban area in harmony with its inherent characteristic landscape; anticipating the impacts of climate change, the needs of the population, and the density of tourists...
The city assigned the localities to urgently develop and complete the general planning, and based on that, develop the zoning plan. The general plan must ensure overall coherence, linkage, and the formation of a multi-core, multi-layered, multi-tiered, multi-centred urban area to maximize the advantages of the entire heritage region.
