Hoi An authorities on May 11 met with the press to talk about managing visits to Hoi An.

From May 15, Hoi An in Quang Nam province will begin selling entrance tickets to visitors to the ancient town. The ticket prices are VND80,000 for Vietnamese visitors and VND120,000 for foreigners.

According to Son, the ticket sales will focus on controlling travelers in groups. However, travelers in family groups can buy tickets on a voluntary basis. Other groups of travelers, such as people coming to have dinner or a drink or take wedding photos, won’t have to buy tickets.

Son said the city has collected entrance fees since 1995 (the ticket price was made public in 2012). 

Some travelers have said they did not have to pay such a fee in the past and expressed their displeasure on social media recently.

However, Son said the local authorities have decided to change the policy application to ensure fairness for visitors who have different purposes. 

The entrance ticket is the cheapest among the eight world heritage sites in Vietnam recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Visitors to Phong Nha Ke Bang, for example, have to pay VND150,000 per visit, while the entrance fee at Trang An is VND250,000. 

The ticket to Hoi An has remained unchanged over 11 years.

Son said there will be officers to guide people to visit the ancient town. The city will sell tickets to groups of visitors, from No332 Ly Thuong Kiet and Thanh Ha Stations. Passenger vehicles will carry clients to  three destinations.

From these points, officers will guide travelers to follow different routes. They will not allow tour guides to lead travelers to small alleys. From May 15, electric vehicles won’t be able to access the walking street of Phan Chau Trinh.

“The municipal authorities have consulted with ancient town residents about this and locals have expressed their agreement. After that, we had a meeting with 25 travel firms and they also agreed with the plan,” he said.

The leader of the city’s administration cited several reasons to strengthen control of people going in and out of the ancient town.

In 2019, Hoi An collected VND300 billion from selling admission tickets.

Ho Giap