Hoi An has just launched a project to restore and promote the local gentle manners as part of activities to mark 19 years since the ancient town was recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage.

Foreign visitors take a cycle tour along Hoi An's ancient street.

The ancient city of Hoi An has launched a campaign to raise awareness of good-natured behavior and hospitality among the community, promoting a friendly environment for tourism and making the city the most popular destination in central Vietnam.

Director of Hoi An’s Culture and Sports Center Vo Phung said that the project will focus on corralling poor mannered behavior when hosting tourists in public sites, restaurants and destinations in the old quarter.

He said booming mass tourism and rapid urbanization in Hoi An in recent years has partially spoiled the good-natured image of Hoi An’s people and culture that has been preserved for generations.

He added that the project introduced a code of conduct for local residents, promoting gentle manners. 

"One of the project’s main goals is to fully restore the moral lifestyle of the Hoi An people of the past, which has been fading over the decades. This also marks parts of efforts to boost the local tourism industry as foreigners tend to explore the locals’ lifestyle  anywhere they visit," said Phung. 

Last year, Hoi An welcomed nearly 1.8 million foreign tourists. The city is doing its best to promote both its tangible and intangible cultural values.

"Hoi An has advanced numerous strategies to promote its heritage over the years.  Any new projects will naturally impact the daily life of locals but they will be accepted if the interests of the city and its people are secured," said Nguyen Van Son, Vice Chairman of the Hoi An municipal People’s Committee.

The characteristic lifestyle and culture of merchants from Europe, Japan and China who came to Hoi An 500 years ago when the city was a busy trading port, became the cultural values inherited and preserved by generations to come.

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