(VOVworld) – Heritage preservation combined with sustainable tourism is one of Vietnam’s strategic goals. The world heritage site of Hoi An has provided a lesson in heritage preservation for other areas to learn from.

Hoi An's Bridge Pagoda at night

In Hoi An township in the early 1990s, there were many dilapidated and old streets where the poor lived. Many of the total 1,000 old houses and 200 relic sites including some hundreds-year-old temples, pagodas and shrines were seriously degraded. 4 or 5 generations of family members lived in a cramped house with harsh conditions. It was hot in summer and flooded in the monsoon season. Hundreds of petitions were submitted to the township leaders, asking for permission to repair houses. The then Chairman of Hoi An township Nguyen Su signed a document, which later he said he regretted: “Building a new house is 5 times cheaper than restoring an old house. Because I didn’t allow them to carry out repairs, they said I had to be accountable for any casualties as a result of a house collapse. As the Chairman I wrote: “I permit the house to be restored, but its original look should be retained”. As a human being, I felt sorry about that decision because it was a challenging task to rebuild to the original version”.

Given the pressures of life, many local residents destroyed their old homes, forcing Su to issue an order to use force. But he understood that he could no longer continue such coercive measures or bans, because what would be lost would be not only heritage, but also people’s trust. To solve the problem of preservation and development, the Hoi An People’s Committee identified its first priority as being how much the locals in the old quarter could benefit from the efforts towards heritage.  Furthermore, it was necessary to change the people’s awareness of providing efficient tourism services in an organized manner. Su told us: “Originally, people had some income and then became richer, so they treasured more what their ancestors left behind. As their traditional brings them pride and practical benefits, they will try their best to preserve their heritage”.

It is costly to restore old houses, because it needs a special kind of brick tile and best-quality timber.  Hoi An has adopted clear policies for supporting from 30 to 75% of the costs needed for the restoration, and even all costs, depending on the degree of damage to the house and its position. Houses which lie far in an alley will receive a higher amount of support. Thai Te Buu, who lives in a 300-year-old house in alley 126 of Tran Phu street, told us that he had been supported 75% of the total cost for house repair and had been visited by Vietnamese and Japanese construction consultants: “My house, which is recognized as a special relic, is protected by the State. I am very pleased with it. The house has been restored to its original state”.

Buu told us that he used to work very hard to earn a living, from being a porter to a street vendor. Recently, thanks to the developments in tourism, his daughter’s 50-square-meter tailoring shop has become a main source of income for his family and partly contributed to the restoration of his house.

Pham Van Khoa, owner of a lantern shop at 122 Tran Phu street, told VOV: “During the state-subsidy period, our lives were difficult. Now our livelihoods have improved thanks to tourism. We are pleased with selling lanterns”.

Hoi An’s authorities have adopted incentives so that those who live in the alleys will earn some income, by enabling them hire kiosks in Nguyen Hoang night market at preferential prices. Seller Le Thi Thong said: “Because my house is situated far down an alley, the township has provided us with a kiosk to sell goods and promote handicraft villages. Taxes are exempt for the first two years. Business starters are assisted with vocational training and half of the cost in interest rates. Our lives are better than they used to be. We bought what we dreamed of and built our own house”.

The people of Hoi An people, who used to suffer under the weight of their heritage, are enjoying the benefits accruing from it. This helps them to treasure the legacies of their ancestors more than most.