TOURISM MANAGEMENT IN VIETNAM HOIAN, A CASE STUDY HANNAH PHAN NHU NGOC HAN (B.A, VN) A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAMME NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2004 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to begin this grateful acknowledgement with a thank you note to my supervisor. I am deeply indebted to him, Associate Professor John N. Miksic, who guided me ever since the beginning of this research. He has always given me his support, encouragement and empathy.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his kindness, concern, understanding and patience when my research speed was so slow. I’m also thankful for Mrs. Heimun Miksic for her encouragements during my course. Secondly, I would like to thank the National University of Singapore for giving me the chance of pursuing my research with a Research Scholarship, without which I would not have been able to complete my study.
Thirdly I would like to extend my gratitude to the staff of the Southeast Asian Studies Programme, who have become my good friends after almost 3 years, especially Lucy Tan, Rohani J. for their humour and willingness to help whenever I come and disturb them with my endless questions. I am also grateful for the help and guidance of Dr. Bruce Lockhart, who speaks such good Vietnamese that I sometimes had to ask him how to put my thoughts into words; Professor Chua Beng Huat, Dr.
Goh Beng Lan for encouraging me through my study; Mr. Kwa Chong Guan who have always taken an interest in the progress of my work – making me guilty enough to continue my quest. Without the help and assistance of the local people and tourists - who have now become dear friends – whom I met during my field trips in Hoian, I would not have been able to finish this thesis. Many thanks to Mr.
Nguyen Su, the Chairman of the Hoian’s People’s Committee for granting me more than 1 interview; to Mr. Vo Phung, Director of Hoian Centre for Culture and Sports; Mr. Tran Anh, Director of Hoian i Centre for Monuments Management and Preservation; Ms. Thu, Director of Hoian Hotel; to Ms.
Bich Lan and her husband, chi Hien, Vu Trong Nhan and many other local Hoianese and tourists I met during my stays there. I will always remember how warm and welcomed I felt when I was in Hoian. I would like to thank my partner, Anthony, for everything he did for me: proofreading, consolidating data, going on field trips and so on. He has been my unofficial secondary supervisor at home and has shared the family’s financial burden for the 3 years I have been in the graduate studies programme.
Finally, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to these two special people in my life. I am deeply grateful to my parents whom I love dearly. They always provide the best for me and have always wanted to see me completing my study to the best of my ability. Without them, I would not be where I am today.
Ba me, thank you. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements i Table of Contents iii Summary v Chapter 1: Introduction 1 INTRODUCTION 1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 5 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW 11 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 20 Chapter 2: Historical Background of Hoian 25 Chapter 3: A Closer Look into Hoian’s Current Physical and Social Conditions 40 A. HOIAN’S PHYSICAL SITUATION 40 1. From 1985 until now 44 B.
LIFESTYLES OF HOIANESE 57 1. After 1990 58 Chapter 4: Cultural Resource Management in Hoian with regard to Tourists and Locals 67 A. THE AUTHORITIES’ OPINIONS 81 Chapter 5: Conclusion 105 iii A. SUMMARY OF DATA 105 B.
HOIAN AS A CASE STUDY FOR OTHER HISTORICAL SITES IN VIETNAM 116 C. POSSIBLE FUTURE OUTCOMES OF HOIAN 118 D. SOLUTIONS TO POSSIBLE PROBLEMS. SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN HOIAN 125 Bibliography 129 Appendix 1: General Questions for Interviews Appendix 2: Pictures of Hoian iv SUMMARY Hoian has always been on the top list of tourists’ favourite destinations in Vietnam.
It was a renowned international trading port set up late in the 16th century. It is the only place in Vietnam to have many of its original streets and architectures preserved intact, typical of an old seaport town in Southeast Asia. With its rich culture and the great potential for tourism, in 1999, Hoian was honourably inscribed by UNESCO for “being an exceptionally well preserved example of a South East Asian trading port from the period of the 15th to 19th centuries”. This thesis will examine the important role that tourism management plays in the preservation of cultural monuments in the face of growing cultural tourism Although Hoian is 'exposed' to the world (i.
listed by UNESCO) for only a few years, it has already implemented policies to balance the influx of tourists against the needs to preserve its cultural heritage. This would suggest the presence of good tourism management practices is vital to achieving success in addressing the sometimes- conflicting needs of tourism and preservation. In addition, it would also suggest that the attitudes of the local people and government play an important role in making this possible. v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Sustainable tourism has its roots in the concept of sustainable development generally, defined by the Brundtland Commission as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.1 Since then it has been adopted and applied in a wide range of human contexts, in an attempt to address simultaneously both developmental and environmental imperatives.
The common question is: can tourism grow in a sustainable manner? This is not to say that sustainable tourism has been the experience on the world scene to date. Any number of examples can be quoted of the expansion of tourism in a fashion which is clearly unsustainable, especially in the developing countries. For the tourism sector, the concept of sustainability implies meeting current uses and demands of tourism without impairing the natural and cultural heritage, or opportunities for collective enjoyment of tourists of the future.2 This is a study of the concept of “sustainable tourism” in the Vietnamese context. There have been comprehensive studies from neighbouring countries that measure the economic impact of tourism and its linkages to other sectors in the economy.
Bali, Singapore, and Thailand offer three examples which can be used to create analogies with Vietnam. In Bali, the locals are able to have economic resources to preserve their local dances and traditions because the tourists travel long distances just to appreciate Balinese culture. Without cultural tourism, Bali would have to rely on other forms of development which would generate a much higher rate of negative effects on the local 1 World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1987, p., The Greening of Tourism, Burnaby BC: Simon Fraser University, Centre for Tourism and Policy Research, 1993. 1 culture, and the local customs, architecture, clothing, food, and other kinds of businesses would have given way to more competitive global brands.
Some worry that Bali has become too touristic and the traditional cultures are showing signs of touristification – that is, the culture is being altered to suit the expectation of tourists. Others believe that Bali is one of the more successful examples of incorporation of tourism into a culture’s total adaptation to the environment.3 Bugis Street, Singapore 4 originally was a cultural landscape filled with tradition, glitter and a chaotic atmosphere of enjoyment, eating and shopping. In the 1980s the Singapore government authorities wanted to integrate the old ways with modernity, while eliminating what some perceived as the less desirable traditional aspects of the area such as common displays of transvestitism. They also sought to revitalise the traditional activities and communal activities in the area.
They set up a service infrastructure to ensure hygiene standards were kept, and food prepared by the hawkers was of high standards. Shop-houses were replicated and given a weathered look to make them look more authentic. The night market was retained. However, the efforts failed to perpetuate the atmosphere which attracted tourists.
Activities were too planned and coordinated and the chaotic atmosphere which was the charm of Bugis Street all disappeared only to be replaced by strict laws and regulations. It was the perfect example of how physical infrastructure may be reconstructed but relationships and social interactions cannot be so easily engineered. The management of Bugis then decided to bring back the infamous transvestites. However, this was met with heavy resistance by other members of the public in favour of morality.
The government also refused to budge an inch. Singapore was 3 Picard, M. "Cultural Tourism in Bali: The Construction of a Cultural Heritage." In Wiendu Nuryanti, ed. Tourism and Heritage Management.
Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press, 1997, p. 4 Kuah Khun Eng. "Bugis Street in Singapore: Development, Conservation and the Re-invention of Cultural Landscape. Cultural Identity and Urban Changes in Southeast Asia: Interpretative Essays.
Victoria: Deakin University Press, 1994, p. 2 marketed as a clean and moral society and the government refused to consider the deviant lifestyle as a highlight of any of its tourist spots. Today, Bugis is only beginning to be frequented by the locals. The whole area is now focusing on new social activities and highlighting its night market as bohemian.
The younger generations are experimenting with setting up their own retail business in the night market and the new shopping centre. Although the traditional buildings still stand, the Bugis area is undergoing social changes. In the case study of Singapore's Bugis Street, the government defined heritage conservation as the preservation of architecture and ambience. Conservation plans involved the improvement of the physical environment in the areas of walkways, landscaping and hygiene standard of the area.
Lastly, conservation included the enhancement of the character of the area. This could be in the form of introducing new activities while sustaining the old traditional activities of touristic value. The Singapore policy in conserving an area also requires the active efforts of the private sector. Some, however, have argued that Singapore concentrates too heavily on buildings while neglecting culture.
This has been asserted in the case of Chinatown for instance. 5 Shophouses are the primary feature of Chinatown’s landscape and Chinatown’s value lies in the shophouses’ contribution to the larger urban texture. The shophouse is essentially a pre-industrial urban unit and a characteristic building type of 19th and early 20th century Southeast Asian towns, cities and commercial centres. Residents were ‘re-located’ outside the ‘traditional’ Singapore Chinatown in order for the authorities to recreate the unique ‘Chinatown’ experience.6 Sites like People’s Park 5 Historic districts in the Central area : a manual for Chinatown conservation area.
Singapore : Urban Redevelopment Authority , 1988 6 Kwok, Wee and Chia, eds. Rethinking Chinatown and Heritage Conservation in Singapore. Singapore: Singapore Heritage Society, 2000. 3 Complex, Thong Chai Medical Hall and Yung Cheng School were not included in the Singapore Tourism Board’s plans.
These places were milestones in the development of early Chinese migrant society and People’s Park contains old businesses like watch- repairing, selling of textiles, hardware shops. Thus with just the buildings conserved and not the activities and businesses, Chinatown lost its vibrancy and became a ‘soulless’ place. Chiang Mai, Thailand7 faced a real estate boom in the 1980s due to tourism. Hotels and condominiums were built to support the migration of people into the area.
However, this development had negative effects on heritage conservation as residents from Bangkok and foreigners from China and Japan made their way to Chiang Mai. The Bangkok residents bought up the properties for investment while the Chinese and Japanese needed accommodation for business stays and also for property speculation. This inflow of investment did not benefit the Chiang Mai residents at all. They were pushed out of their homes and into the outskirts.