For the time being, scholars, the public and travelers continue to debate whether to collect the fee.

Hoi An management officers want to have more resources for the conservation and embellishment of relics, improvement of service quality and tourists’ experience. 

The resources would allow them to improve local infrastructure and the environment, regulate the number of visitors, ease overloading and maintain the sustainability of the ancient town.

The receipts from ticket sales would immediately solve some urgent matters in the conservation and embellishment of relics as well as the organization of events there. 

Instead of waiting for resources from the state, mobilizing resources from society, including the sale of tickets, was seen as the most feasible solution.

However, any decision related to fee collection or a price increase is considered a sensitive issue and is likely to cause indignation among the public rather than sympathy.

When issuing such decisions, local authorities need to prepare thorough analyses on possible socio-economic, cultural and historical impacts of the decisions. And they need to prepare media campaigns.

It is not clear how Hoi An authorities and agencies prepared for a media campaign and if they anticipated the reactions from the public. 

However, the outcry from tourists sparked by the announcement about the entry fee showed that the authorities did not anticipate the possible negative impact caused by the decision.

This may affect Hoi An’s image in the eyes of tourists and overshadow its hospitality, which is a precious brand of the city. The situation may even worsen and Hoi An authorities may end up ‘killing the goose that laid the golden egg’ if tourists turn their back on Hoi An.

If few travelers come to Hoi An, hotels and restaurants, eateries and cafes, food shops and souvenir shops will suffer from poor sales, and the great efforts to build a strong brand for Hoi An in recent years will have been in vain.

Culture spreads other values

To many people, fees are necessary because relics need protection. They believe that in the market economy, it is necessary to organize festivals, cultural events, brand development, and audience development to develop relics commercially and better satisfy visitors’ requirements.

Meanwhile, other people agree that relics need conservation but believe that resources for conservation should not come from commercial sources.

Countries always have to weigh whether to collect entry fee to relics and museums or fees for enjoying public arts. They want cultural institutions and artistic activities to spread positive messages and local values, and love for the motherland to people.

The State needs to become the sponsor of relics, heritage sites and public arts.

The benefits brought by cultural institutions and artistic activities as seen by tourists will offset the expenses related to the management and organization of the activities. 

The British Museum and National Gallery do not collect fees from visitors, though they have valuable collections and artworks.

The British government uses the money from tourists who spend on hotels, transport, souvenirs and food, and creates favorable conditions to establish trust funds and heritage conservation funds to sponsor the operations of the cultural institutions.

When travelers come to Hoi An, or eat food in Hanoi, and stay and buy goods there, this means they consume the products of the ancient town in an indirect way. 

All spending by travelers should be accounted for as  ‘achievements’ of the ancient town as well. 

Charging VND120,000 for foreigners may cause tourists to be more reluctant to spend money at local shops and expats may not visit the town often.

Some experts have suggested establishing a Hoi An heritage conservation fund under the sponsorship of the state, or a private entity. There should be a policy to harmonize the benefits of involved parties to create sources of revenue for relics. 

Bui Hoai Son