The ancient town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam saw the reopening of its pedestrian street on February 15, in addition to allowing non-motorised vehicles to operate, although tickets for sightseeing activities in the town’s old quarter have not yet gone on sale yet. 

Furthermore, other tourist attractions, including assembly halls, ancient houses, temples, and pagodas have also resumed operation.

Truong Thi Ngoc Cam, director of the Center for Culture - Sports and Broadcasting - Television of Hoi An, said that during the Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet, the ancient town welcomes an average of 1,200 to 1,500 visitors daily. Indeed, the reopening of the pedestrian street is being done in an effort to avoid traffic chaos impacting the experience of visitors.

Despite easing restrictions, the town has not relaunched the sale of sightseeing tickets for tourists wishing to visit the old town, although tickets to the two assembly halls of Fujian and Quang Trieu have gone on sale for VND20,000.

Following this, the Assembly Hall of Fujian and Quang Trieu sold 1,000 tickets and 300 tickets on the first day, respectively.

Cam added that the ancient town is still fully decorated with lanterns, and fresh flowers, while restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops are to operate as normal in order to serve visitors.

Other major cultural activities will return to normal depending on developments relating to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In an effort to ensure the safety of guests during the current epidemic, relevant forces will be positioned in order to remind visitors to abide by COVID-19 epidemic measures.