Authorities in Hoi An City have affirmed that not all visitors will be charged an entry fee in response to fierce controversy over the introduction of the charge for admission to Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Son, chairman of the Hoi An City People’s Committee, said that the city will neither prevent people from entering the town nor consider ticketing as a way to increase revenue.

Instead, the entrance fee mandate is aimed at raising awareness of the development of the heritage site.

The city, whose Minh An Ward houses Hoi An Ancient Town, only has plans to charge people who enter the ancient town for tourism purposes, Son underlined.

While many people misinterpreted the requirement to mean that anyone who enters the ancient town will have to pay the admission charge, the fee will not apply to residents of Quang Nam – the province where Hoi An is located – and neighboring Da Nang, as well as those who visit it in order to meet with relatives, Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper reported, citing chairman Son.

Those who work in the ancient town will not be charged the entrance fee either.

Nguyen Su, former Party chief of Hoi An City, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that an entrance fee for the town has been maintained for ages and that tickets have already been sold to visitors on tours bought through travel firms. 

Su also noted that many travel firms charge their customers for tickets and either do not provide them or let their guests wander aimlessly through the town instead of guiding them through the city’s ancient relics and educating them on its history.

Thus, the goal of the revamped entrance fee is to create a more sustainable and educational tourism climate.

Responding to the question why Hoi An does not sell tickets at certain tourist sites, but charges visitors for entry into the entire town, chairman Son said that demanding admission to each of the sites in the town does not match the spirit of the Heritage Law and Decree 109.

Hoi An Ancient Town is recognized as a heritage site, so visitors entering the area must buy entrance tickets, just as they would at Vietnam’s other heritage sites, like Trang An in Ninh Binh Province and Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province.

These fees benefit all local residents, chairman Son said.

Hoi An City will use the proceeds from entrance ticket sales to preserve the town and rehabilitate aging buildings, as well as develop infrastructure within the ancient town.

Three days ago, the Hoi An City authority announced that all local and international visitors would have to buy entrance tickets to visit Hoi An Town Ancient beginning May 15.

The tickets will cost VND120,000 (US$5.1) each for foreigners and VND80,000 ($3.4) each for domestic tourists.

The city will also designate two entrances to the town, with one for visitors and the other for Hoi An locals and those entering the town for work and with legitimate reasons.

However, many people misunderstood the requirement, causing controversy over the mandate.

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