The central city of Hoi An will provide free ticket for tourists visiting the ancient town tomorrow, Friday, on the occasion of the Heritage Day and the 16th anniversary of Hoi An's recognition as a world heritage city by UNESCO.

The city said many cultural performances, outdoor exhibitions and photo displays would be held on the day to attract tourists visiting the city.

Hoi An provided 39 free entrance cards for people last year. Thirteen of them were foreign residents living in the city.

The city plans to give free entrance cards to 100 foreign residents in Quang Nam and Hoi An this year.

According to the latest report, Hoi An hosted more than 1.7 million tourists, of which 740,000 were foreigners, over the past nine months.

The report also found that 439,000 tourists stayed in the town, and 167,000 tourists visited Cham Island.

In 2014, a survey showed that 11.2 per cent of total international tourists returned to the city on their second visit.

Activities celebrate Hoi An’s world cultural heritage status

A string of cultural and sport events have been held in Hoi An city, the central province of Quang Nam from November 23 to December 5 to mark the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day and 16 years since Hoi An Ancient Town was recognised as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Highlight of the events will be the December 3 inauguration of Nguyen Phuc Chu walking street where numerous activities promoting ancient Hoi An’s culture, including traditional games, art performances and lantern-making and portrait drawing instructions, among others.

A Hoi An wedding photo contest and photo exhibitions are also scheduled, along with a traditional run tournament expected to draw the participation of both locals and tourists.

On this occasion, free tickets to relic sites in the city will be provided for holiday-makers.

According to Vice Chairman of the Hoi An People’s Committee Nguyen Van Son, the event creates a chance for the city to look back on its achievements as well as popularises Hoi An images to domestic and international friends, contributing to raising public awareness of cultural heritage preservation and sustainable tourism development.

Covering 60 square kilometres, Hoi An has 22.5 square kilometres of agriculture and forest land and 11 square kilometres of lakes and channels.

The city’s Ancient Town was a renowned international trading port in the 17th century where ships from Japan, China, and European countries docked to exchange wares. Cultural exchange also took place in the port, influencing the town in ways that remain visible today.

In 2012, Hoi An was shortlisted for the top ten Asian cities in the US-magazine Conde Nast's Traveler's Readers Choice Awards. The following year, the UNESCO-recognised world heritage was chosen for the Townscape Award by the UN-Habitat Regional Office in Asia.-

Full-moon day exhibition on display in Hoi An

An installation sculpture of paper, wood, glass, steel and waste material is on display in the Rendezvous Space, or Cotic, at 60 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street in Hoi An.

Artist Van Ngoc's exhibit, called Ram (Fullmoon) Space, is a multi-dimensional installation.

Ngoc, who took part in a workshop in Toulouse, France in 2003 and Vermont Studio Centre in the US in 2004, turned the space into a topic of Fullmoon Day, a monthly rendezvous for tourists and local people when the city lights up with thousands of lanterns in old quarters, public spaces and along the Hoai River.

Ngoc, from Ba Ria-Vung Tau, has exhibited his work before in Viet Nam.

He also created an art space at his own house in Ba Ria-Vung Tau as a destination for local people and tourists.

VNS/VNA