JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Entrance fees in Vietnam’s Hoi An town for repair work: official

Entrance fees in Vietnam’s Hoi An town for repair work: official

Monday, April 28, 2014, 11:45 GMT+7

Authorities in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam’s Hoi An Ancient Town on Saturday publicized financial statements that detailed how revenue from the sale of tickets for entrance to the UNESCO-recognized site has been used and asserted that the new fee policy benefits local people. 

>> Foreigners outraged by $6 fee for entrance to Vietnam’s Hoi An old town>> ‘What’s the $6 fee to enter Vietnam’s Hoi An old town for?’

No one will refuse to buy entrance tickets if they know that most of the revenue has been used for the restoration of the town, Nguyen Su, Secretary of the Hoi An City Party Committee, told a press conference held on April 26 to answer the public’s questions on the controversial US$6 entrance fee imposed on international visitors to the famous old town.

“We tighten the new fee policy for international tourists in support of the interests of local people. If anyone can prove that the policy gets locals into trouble, I promise on my honor that I will eliminate this regulation,” VnExpress quoted Su as saying on the sidelines of the conference.

According to Su, the Hoi An government collected VND255 billion ($12 million) in revenue from selling entrance tickets in 14 years from 2000 to 2014.

He added VND160 billion (roughly $7.6 million) of that amount went to the local government budget while the rest was used to pay for the local management apparatus generally and the management board of six scenic spots in the town in particular.  

Of the VND160 billion, VND104 billion (about $5 million) was used as financial assistance for the restoration and repair of local houses to retain the ancient look of the town.

Su gave an example that the recent restoration of the house No. 16 on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street cost VND2.9 billion ($137,538) and VND1.6 billion ($75,883) of which was funded by the government.

Moreover, Hoi An authorities spent VND35 billion ($1.66 million) organizing festivals in the town and VND6.6 billion ($313,000) for the organization of night-life activities to attract more visitors, in addition to VND15 billion ($711,406) for conducting research and holding seminars.

Su said that the annual taxes paid by local residents and enterprises are merely VND4.7 billion ($223,000), which are even not enough to restore a house.  

Vo Phung, director of the Hoi An Culture and Sports Center, reiterated that authorities have charged admission fees since 1995. Phung also rejected reports that “the $6 entrance fee turned Hoi An into a ghost town”. He asserted that crowds of visitors still come to the town every day.

Also at the press conference, Hoi An authorities met with 300 local travel agents and firms to listen to their opinions on the controversial entrance fee.

After that, Su pledged that the local government will go on to review the current policy in order to charge “the most reasonable entrance fee for visitors” and advise travel agents to provide tourists with detailed information about their responsibilities and rights when they buy entrance tickets.  

The controversial $6 entrance fee

Two years ago, Hoi An authorities began charging tourists on visiting certain scenic spots within Hoi An old town. Domestic tourists were required to pay VND60,000 ($3) for entrance to every three spots. Foreign visitors were then charged VND120,000 ($6) for every six spots.  

Last year, the rate for local visitors was raised to VND80,000 ($4) for every four spots, while that for foreigners remained the same. However, management was quite loose, so few tourists had to pay the fee.

Since April 1 this year, the authorities have collected $4 and $6 entrance fees from domestic and foreign tourists, respectively, when they want to access the famous old town.

New ticket booths have been put up at every entrance to the old town, with attendants working hard to make sure that no tourists can “sneak” into the place without an admission fee.

One of the attendants explained that such strict control is a must as many tour guides have purposefully evaded buying tickets for their tourists.

The new fee policy has aroused waves of angry reactions among foreigners and domestic tourists over the last couples of weeks.

They have indignantly blasted the move on many foreign forums and social networks, including world-leading tourism website TripAdvisor.

Meanwhile, most comments on expats’ Facebook pages have slammed the fee collection and predicted that the town will soon become a ghost city with this outrageous policy.

Hoi An is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which has cited the town as an example of a well-preserved Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Tuoi Tre

More

Read more

;

Photos

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Vietnam’s Mekong Delta celebrates spring with ‘hat boi’ performances

The art form is so popular that it attracts people from all ages in the Mekong Delta

Vietnamese youngster travels back in time with clay miniatures

Each work is a scene caught by Dung and kept in his memories through his journeys across Vietnam

Latest news