Consider options for managing Hoi An heritage space

The proposal of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang City to assign the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Conservation Center to only manage the Hoi An Ancient Town, while assigning national and city-level relics to communes and wards for management, is considered inappropriate and needs to be considered and studied more carefully.

The world cultural heritage space of Hoi An covers the entire area of Hoi An city (old). Photo: VINH LOC

Need to consider carefully

On July 18, 2025, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Document No. 313 to the City People's Committee asking for guidance on the management and promotion of cultural heritage values in Da Nang city.

In addition to the proposal to assign national and city-level relics to communes and wards for management, the two world cultural heritages My Son Relic Site and Hoi An Ancient Town are also assigned to the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board and the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Conservation Center (under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism ) for direct management.

Next, on July 23, 2025, at the meeting to listen to the report on the management and promotion of cultural heritage values in Da Nang city, chaired by Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, the plan to assign the unit to directly manage was also agreed upon at the request of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Conclusion Notice No. 79 dated July 25, 2025).

Some opinions say that the proposal for the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Management and Conservation Center to only manage the Hoi An Ancient Town (national and city-level relics located in the Hoi An (old) cultural space are assigned to communes and wards for management) needs to be thoroughly researched and considered because the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage is not only the ancient town but also a space of tangible and intangible culture that encompasses, supports and interacts with each other.

Compliance with regulations on heritage management

From July 1, 2025, Hoi An city (old) will be divided into 4 new communes and wards including Hoi An, Hoi An Tay, Hoi An Dong and Tan Hiep island commune.

The total number of relics in the area of 4 communes and wards is 1,439 relics of all kinds, of which the old quarter owns about 1,100 relics including ancient houses, communal houses, pagodas, temples, clan churches...

Mr. Pham Phu Ngoc, Deputy Director of Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, said that decentralization and bringing relics to local management is appropriate, but for communes and wards in Hoi An city (old), it needs to be close to the actual situation.

Because the World Cultural Heritage Hoi An Ancient Town is a large trading port stretching from Cua Dai, not simply an old town.

“This is an inseparable cultural space, so the center wants to be managed as its original function when it belonged to the old city of Hoi An, not to mention the restoration work. If it is handed over to the locality, it will be difficult to ensure human resources and techniques for restoration…”, Mr. Ngoc shared.

According to Mr. Ha Vy, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the newly issued Heritage Law has new regulations on heritage management, including construction management or current status management, so it must be followed.

Not to mention, previously the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Center was under the jurisdiction of Hoi An City (old), but now it is under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, so there should be re-regulations on the corresponding functions and tasks in the spirit of representing the department to support state management in the field of heritage.

In particular, the projects that the center is currently leading will continue to be implemented. For new projects in the future, the department will specifically calculate who will be the investor and who will operate the project...

“In the immediate future, the center will have to develop appropriate functions and tasks, and the city will consider approving them to create a way to spread and connect heritage together,” Mr. Ha Vy shared.

At the same time, Mr. Vy also acknowledged that the Hoi An Cultural Heritage Conservation Center is a public service unit with highly specialized technical staff and is located on site, so it will play a role in supporting the state, not in state management.

In particular, the department's viewpoint is not to fragment Hoi An's cultural space in the process of managing, preserving and promoting heritage values.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/can-nhac-phuong-an-quan-ly-khong-gian-di-san-hoi-an-3298808.html