Chùa Cầu, or the Japanese Bridge, features a typical symbol of the ancient town of Hội An. The town has successfully preserved the old architecture and traditional culture heritage values from previous centuries. Photo courtesy of Xuân Hà

HỘI AN — The ancient town of Hội An is recognised as one of the most favourite destinations for visitors wanting to experience a unique indigenous cultural experience.

The city is a well-preserved world heritage rendezvous in central Việt Nam.

The tourism hub had a successful year with a series of precious world travel awards given to destinations in the town, while hosting the first ever time UN Tourism Conference on Tourism for Rural Development.

Trà Quế vegetable village in the ancient town of Hội An of Quảng Nam Province, which was voted as one of the Best Tourism Villages 2024 at a UN Tourism vote in Colombia, was a focus as it hosted a tourism conference with the participation of 300 delegates and partners from around the world.

Lanterns decorate the Old Quarter of Hội An Town. — Photo courtesy of Rose Travel

The village is the third hamlet in Việt Nam to win a UN Tourism award after Thái Hải eco village in Thái Nguyên Province and Tân Hóa Village in Quảng Bình Province.

According to Việt Nam Tourism Administration, Quảng Nam and Hội An are worthy destinations for the UN Tourism event, with their well-conserved culture and nature as well as the locals' warm hospitality.

Trà Quế is one of the most successful agri-tourism destinations among 126 rural community-based sites.

The 500-year village hosts from 20,000 to 30,000 visitors per year, while the community earns a good living from growing vegetables.

The village, three kilometres from the UNESCO-recognised world heritage site of Hội An, is home to 202 families, with 326 farmers growing different kinds of herbs and vegetables over plots of about 18 hectares.

A model poses for photo with lantern at the Japanese Bridge – a favourite destination in the Old Quarter of Hội An. — Photo courtesy of Ngọc Cẩm

Herbs and vegetables from their extensive gardens are used for local specialities at restaurants and resorts in Hội An and Đà Nẵng, as well as offering farming experiences for tourists.

The village, dating back to the 16th century, has developed 23 home-stay services and 16 restaurants which also offer cooking classes, alongside farm stays.

It is just one delightful suburban destination for visitors to Hội An, alongside Thanh Hà pottery village, the Cẩm Thanh nipa-palm village, the corn farm in Cẩm Nam and the carpentry of Cẩm Kim village.

In 2022, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised the village in the list of the national intangible heritages.

Villagers earn about VNĐ500,000 (US$22) a day from tourism and cooking services at their herb farms, while supplying 30kg of fresh organic vegetables to local markets each day.

A potter at the wheel making a jar at a workshop in Thanh Hà pottery village in Hội An. The trade is one of a series crafts in Hội An with national heritage recognition. — VNS Photo Công Thành

The UN Tourism conference will accelerate opportunities for Quảng Nam and Hội An to promote their heritage sites – the ancient town of Hội An, Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and Chàm Islands-Hội An world biosphere reserve site.

Hội An Memories Land in the ancient town of Hội An was also voted as the World Leading Cultural Tourism and Entertainment Complex, marking the third award in a row at the World Travel Awards, after two successful honours in 2022-23.

A project called ‘Hội An-Craft Villages Go Digital’ which promoted transformation in the ancient town, won an international marketing award, the International Kotler Award 2024 in the category of ‘Impactful Digital & Inno-tech’, for efforts made by the ancient town in the digital transformation of craft villages for sustainable development and preservation.

The Hội An City’s information and sports centre said the Kotler Award has been seen as a positive progress of the craft preservation activities following the recognition of a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the Crafts and Folk Art category in 2023.

These global awards and recognitions resulted from traditional culture preservation and conservation of the natural landscape efforts by the town in promotion of eco-tourism of Hội An and the renowned world heritage sites of Quảng Nam Province, over many years.

Tourists enjoy vegetable farming experience at Trà Quế Village in Hội An ancient town. The village was voted as one of the best rural tourism village by the UN. — Photo courtesy of Hội An Tourism

Following the global trends of sustainable development and ecological protection, Hội An has launched a pilot plan to build the first zero plastic pedestrian streets, as part of the project to create an eco-city, based on cultural and sustainable tourism, with a vision to become a green and ‘smart city' by 2050.

The town’s eco-tour service has been transformed by digital and technology applications in improving the value of craft products and accessing to domestic and international markets among family business owners and craftsmen.

Võ Tấn Tân, a bamboo craftsman in Cẩm Thanh Commune in Hội An, designs products to meet the demands of green tourism in the town. — Photo courtesy of Hội An Tourism

National intangible heritage status has been awarded to three of five local craft villages, while the remaining two villages are in the process of trying to get official recognition, as skilled crafts people work with 50 traditional materials.

There are 1,700 households and 685 small-scale enterprises engaged in crafts and folk arts, including carpentry, terra-cotta, lantern-making, bamboo work, nipa-palm processing, garment production and leather crafting.

Approximately 4,000 artisans generate an annual average income ranging from US$3,500 to $4,000 through their involvement in performance arts and craft trades, the centre reported.

Hội An has received eight national heritage certificates. One for the annual Nguyên Tiêu (full moon day of lunar January) Festival, for Thanh Châu edible bird's nest, recognising Thanh Hà Pottery Village and carpentry of Kim Bồng Village, the vegetable planting in Trà Quế Village, the mid-autumn Full Moon Festival (on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month), Chàm Islands’ hammock weaving from tree bark strings and making houses from bamboo and nipa palms in the Cẩm Thanh Commune.

Visitors tour at Tấn Ký House, in Hội An. The house is one of the most visited site in the Old Quarter. — Photo courtesy of Anh Sơn

Craftsmen in Cẩm Thanh Commune have turned to making sustainable and low carbon souvenirs and decorations, boosting the creation of non-plastic, zero-waste and recyclable products, contributing to innovation efforts in making it a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).

Hội An ancient town itself is seen as the most attractive destination in central Việt Nam, hosting 13.5 million tourists in 2018-22.

There are around 3,000 residents living in the Old Quarter and many families are protective of their ancient ways, with visitors particularly charmed by their desire to retain their ancestors’ traditionally polite behaviour.

Hội An has already pedestrianised an area in the west of the city, banning vehicles from 9am to 11am and from 3pm till 9.30pm during the rainy season and 10pm in summer. — VNS