Open way for tourism in Hoi An during flood season

Visiting Hoi An ancient town by boat during flood season is a memorable experience for many tourists. Photo: QT

Over the past few days, the rising water level of the Hoai River has flooded some roads near the riverbank in Hoi An Ancient Town. Although it has caused some inconvenience to people's daily life and negatively affected the network of relics in this area, the flood has also brought new scenes that not many tourists can experience when coming to Hoi An.

Normally, when the water level on the Thu Bon River in Hoi An fluctuates at alarm level 2, water begins to flood some streets such as Bach Dang, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Le Loi... Among them, Bach Dang Street along the Hoai River is the most flooded.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Ho Quang Buu said that due to the terrain characteristics, flooding in Hoi An ancient town is different from many other places where the water does not flow rapidly, mainly because the water cannot drain out to the sea in time.

Therefore, Hoi An can still be favorable for exploiting tourism activities even during the flood season. Floods also partly create a brand for Hoi An, of course, it must be accompanied by conditions to ensure safety for tourists.

International visitors are excited to visit Hoi An during the flood season. Photo: QT

Currently, Hoi An maintains about 300 rowing boats serving tourists on the Hoai River, so this is also a favorable condition to provide services to experience Hoi An during the flood season.

Although taking tourists around the old town during floods has been happening for decades in Hoi An, creating a unique tour that adds depth to the product is still an open question.

According to Mr. Vo Phung - Vice President of Quang Nam Tourism Association, flood water in Hoi An often rises to a certain level and then recedes very slowly, so it is a rare moment in the year to organize for visitors to take a boat slowly across the ancient roofs that are almost at the edge of the water, right up to the door frames, signs... which is a unique cultural feature of this urban area.

In addition, when the water gradually recedes, we can organize tours for visitors to join locals in cleaning up trash, mud, and washing furniture in the relics...

At a workshop on urban planning in Quang Nam, Dr. Nguyen Thu Hanh - President of the Scientific Union for Sustainable Tourism Development (STDe) said that rising floodwaters provide opportunities for tourists to see the overall landscape of Hoi An's ancient roofs, take a boat tour of Hoi An's winding alleys or stop at cafes on the second floors of ancient houses to enjoy rain art forms...

This will be a unique tourist route and will attract a significant number of tourists from this new tourism product if tourism workers and managers in Hoi An dare to think and act.

Dr. Nguyen Thu Hanh commented that it is necessary to use GIS technology to manage flood levels and plan and design tourist routes and attractions suitable for enjoying the scenery of Hoi An ancient town during rainy and flooded days.

In addition, it is necessary to design more shelters on rainy and flood days on the roads with attractive architectural styles, suitable for the landscape of the heritage city.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/loi-mo-cho-du-lich-hoi-an-mua-lut-3144886.html