10 years of forming Hoi An night market

After 6 p.m., Nguyen Phuc Chu night market, Minh An ward began to bustle.

Stalls located close together sell souvenirs and local specialties… When the street lights light up, the lanterns in this neighborhood also show off their vibrant colors, attracting tourists to visit and buy.

Ms. Lan, a fast food seller, said that the night market is most vibrant from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day, with diverse buyers including domestic people, Koreans, Chinese…

Ba Lan’s restaurant has been open at Nguyen Hoang night market for nearly 5 years now.

At around 9:00 p.m., the above tourists began to leave the night market to return to hotels in the area or return to Da Nang.

Mr. Quan, owner of a handicrafts store, said that the products are all made from natural materials, are environmentally friendly and are made by local craftsmen, so they are enjoyed by many Western customers.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Son, Vice Chairman of Hoi An City, more than 10 years ago, the local government realized that tourists coming to Hoi An had no place to go out and shop at night, so they planned to build Nguyen Hoang night market.

To create a night market, the government made a list of households with old houses located in deep alleys and economically difficult to give priority to opening stores.

Tourists walk on Nguyen Thai Hoc street to visit Hoi An ancient town.

At first, the night market only had 20 handicraft stalls and a few food carts, and not many tourists visited.

Hoi An city leaders commented that this night market has created an additional tourism product – service for the locality, helping hundreds of people have a stable source of income.

In 2018, Hoi An launched a second night market on Tran Quy Cap street.

A bar on Nguyen Phuc Chu street.

In addition to the two night markets mentioned above, Mr. Nguyen Van Son said Hoi An still lacks entertainment areas after 9pm and especially after 24pm, `a hard thing to accept for a tourist city`.

According to him, when night falls, tourists often walk on the streets, visit Cau Pagoda and ancient houses lit with lanterns, then go to both banks of the Hoai River to release lanterns and participate in folk games.

Currently, Nguyen Phuc Chu street is nearly 1 km long, with more than 10 bars and restaurants that are often open late in Hoi An.

`We are building a nightlife neighborhood, open until the next morning, meaning 24 hours a day,` Mr. Son said, adding that the government has planned this neighborhood in Cam Kim commune.

In 1999, Hoi An was recognized as a world cultural heritage.

Dak Thanh