Publications
Domestic tourists’ memorable experiences, destination image and revisit intention at Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam
Memorable tourism experiences (MTE) significantly boost destination image and revisit intention among domestic tourists at Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam. This study, the first to empirically link MTE with tourist behavior in heritage destinations of developing countries, found that MTE has the strongest direct effect on revisit intention, while destination image acts as a partial mediator. Using structural equation modeling on survey data from 234 domestic tourists, the research highlights the importance of designing memory-rich experiences for heritage tourism. While cross-sectional, the findings provide actionable insights for site managers to enhance visitor retention and repeat visits.
Living with Floods: Applying the Adversity Acceptance as Resilience Framework to Flood Management Practices in Hoi An Ancient Town
Hoi An Ancient Town demonstrates remarkable resilience to flooding through a proactive and holistic approach deeply rooted in transgenerational knowledge. Residents have adapted the town's layout and architecture to flooding, using flood marks on buildings as both symbolic reminders and indicators of potential future scenarios. This study reveals how adversity acceptance—understanding, acknowledging, and adapting to challenges—has shaped flood management practices, integrating modern technology like weather forecasts and social media while also incorporating floods into tourism experiences. The town's long history with flooding, exacerbated by climate change and urban development, underscores a unique blend of environmental adaptation and cultural sustainability.
Overtourism and the decay of cultural identity: A case study in Hoi An ancient town
Overtourism in Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, is accelerating the erosion of local cultural identity by altering traditional practices and reducing meaningful interactions between residents and tourists. A mixed-methods study combining qualitative interviews with stakeholders—including artisans, tourism businesses, and visitors—revealed that unchecked visitor flows are reshaping community dynamics and increasing risks to heritage conservation. The research highlights how overtourism not only strains infrastructure but also threatens the authenticity of cultural experiences, proposing solutions such as visitor flow control, responsible tourism practices, and deeper community involvement in preservation efforts.
Do tourists’ experiences have impacts on behavioural intentions? A case study in Hoi An ancient town, Vietnam
A study on Hoi An Ancient Town reveals that tourists' experiences—spanning emotional, sensory, behavioral, social, and cognitive dimensions—significantly influence their behavioral intentions, particularly word-of-mouth promotion and revisit intentions. Revisit intention is further positively linked to word-of-mouth intention, suggesting that enhancing these experiences can drive sustained tourism success. The research used an online survey of 361 tourists who visited Hoi An in the past year, providing actionable insights for destination management.
Đánh Giá Sự Hài Lòng của Du Khách Đối với Phố Cổ Hội An, Tỉnh Quảng Nam
Tourists visiting Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in Vietnam, report high satisfaction with its cultural heritage, landscape, hospitality, and safety, scoring 4.0 out of 5 on average. However, limitations in tourism infrastructure and service quality were identified. The study, using a questionnaire survey of 162 domestic and international tourists analyzed through Cronbach’s Alpha reliability testing, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), descriptive statistics, and multiple regression analysis via SPSS 20, highlights key factors influencing satisfaction—tourism resources, services, infrastructure, supporting conditions, demand-side factors, and environmental landscape. These findings underscore the importance of addressing infrastructure gaps to enhance tourist experiences at this renowned destination.
Establishing a Scale to Assess the Factors Affecting the Competitiveness of Tourist Destinations, a Case Study in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province
A scale to assess the competitiveness of tourist destinations, applied to Hoi An cityreveals that while visitors widely agree on key factors influencing its appeal, significant gaps persist in infrastructure and connectivity. The study developed a seven-factor, 64-criteria rating system using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) to evaluate competitiveness. Preliminary findings highlight the need for targeted improvements in these areas to enhance Hoi An's tourism development. This approach provides a structured framework for analyzing destination competitiveness, offering actionable insights for heritage management.
Management and conservation of ancient architectural heritage for sustainable tourism development: A case study of Chinese Assembly Halls in Hoi An (Quang Nam, Vietnam)
A comprehensive analysis of five Chinese assembly halls in Hoi An, Vietnamreveals their critical role in balancing cultural preservation and sustainable tourism. These structures, characterized by unique architectural features and deep historical significance, serve as both worship venues and major tourist attractions, generating substantial visitor statistics and revenue. However, the study identifies significant challenges threatening their integrity, including physical degradation, urbanization pressures, environmental factors like pollution and natural disasters, and commercialization risks that distort traditional practices. The research proposes integrated management strategies to ensure these assembly halls remain vibrant living heritage, contributing to Hoi An's sustainable development while preserving their cultural authenticity.
Adaptation and Adversity Acceptance as Resilience to Flooding at World Heritage Sites: A Case Study of Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam
Residents of Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam, have developed deep resilience to flooding through adaptation and adversity acceptance, fostering a harmonious relationship with their UNESCO-listed environment. This resilience stems from centuries of cohabitation with flood waters, blending traditional knowledge, local beliefs, and adaptive strategies—dubbed 'leaning into nature.' Modern flood prevention measures often trace back to historical practices, highlighting the enduring value of indigenous approaches in mitigating climate change impacts. The study, based on fieldwork, document reviews, and interviews, underscores the significance of integrating local wisdom with contemporary heritage and disaster management policies to sustain this balance.
Exploring Mazu Worship at Fujian Assembly Hall in Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An Ancient Town stands out for its vibrant Mazu worship practices, particularly centered around the Fujian Assembly Hall. This study reveals that Hoi An houses the highest concentration of Mazu temples in Vietnam, with the Fujian Assembly Hall serving as the most dynamic hub. Through field surveys and literature research, the study delves into the rituals, cultural significance, and historical evolution of Mazu worship at this site, offering insights into how this practice has adapted and thrived amidst Hoi An's rich cultural heritage.
Long-Term Comparative Analysis of Tourist Mobility Patterns in Southeast Asia
A comparative analysis of tourist mobility patterns in Southeast Asia reveals distinct regional preferences and movement trends over 20 years. Tourism in Indonesia is highly concentrated on Java and Bali, while Thailand and Vietnam exhibit more evenly distributed patterns, with Vietnam showing a balanced distribution across southern, central, and northern districts. Association rule mining highlights a strong preference for cultural and historical attractions, such as the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Indonesia, The Grand Palace in Thailand, and landmarks like Hoi An Ancient Town and Central Post Office in Vietnam. This study leverages 527,960 online reviews from top destinations in these countries, employing network analysis to map evolving tourist movements and association rule mining to uncover destination preferences, providing actionable insights for tourism stakeholders and policymakers.
Commercial Features in Interior Architecture of Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam in the Process of World Cultural Heritage
Hoi An Ancient Town's interior architecture, particularly its ancient houses, embodies a rich tapestry of cultural exchanges and local traditions that have been preserved over centuries. These structures, pivotal to Hoi An's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, exhibit unique commercial features that reflect historical value and cultural influences. Qualitative research reveals that despite extensive cultural interactions, the town has maintained its distinct identity without losing local elements. The study proposes practical solutions for preserving this heritage, including government policies to protect architectural and decorative features, promote nostalgia businesses, and enhance educational value. This approach aims to balance sustainable tourism development with ecological-cultural progress, benefiting both communities and visitors.
Cultural Sustainability of Hoi an Ancient Houses in the process of becoming the World Cultural Heritage City
Research on Hoi An Ancient Town reveals critical insights into the cultural sustainability of its heritage houses, addressing gaps in current knowledge. The study highlights the need for balanced development to preserve the town's unique architectural value while aligning with its vision as an eco-cultural-tourism city. Through an in-depth literature review and surveys of five ancient houses, the authors demonstrate how cultural sustainability can mitigate challenges posed by industrialization and modernization. This work provides a framework for integrating heritage preservation into broader sustainable development goals, offering practical solutions for similar World Heritage Sites facing similar pressures.
Flood inundation assessment of UNESCO World Heritage Sites using remote sensing and spatial metrics in Hoi An City, Vietnam
A new flood risk assessment for Hoi An Ancient Town reveals that over 75% of past flooding incidents occurred in areas identified as high or very high-risk by the study's predictive model. This finding underscores the vulnerability of heritage sites to increasing extreme flood events, driven by both human and climate changes. The research integrates remote sensing data from Sentinel-2, GIS analysis, and landscape ecology metrics to compute a flood risk index using hazard characteristics, exposure, and vulnerability factors. The Fuzzy-Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was employed to weight and rank these indices, providing a holistic understanding of inundation risks. The model's accuracy was verified against 330 historical flood locations, highlighting concentrated hotspots within the city's heritage areas. This approach offers actionable insights for risk reduction and management strategies, with potential applications for other UNESCO sites facing similar challenges.
Heritage conservation and tourism: the present and future of the past.
Excessive tourism concentration in Hoi An Ancient Town has negatively impacted the economic well-being of local residents despite bringing significant benefits. A five-year longitudinal study (2016-2020) revealed that while mass tourism boosted the city's economy, its overdependence on this sector became evident during COVID-19, which halted tourism development and offered a critical window for policy reassessment.
Assessment For Sustainable Tourism Development In Hoi An City Using The Model Of Hilary Du Cros
Hoi An Ancient Town demonstrates strong market appeal and sustainable tourism potential according to the Hilary du Cros model. The study evaluated its cultural value and robustness using surveys from 88 tourism managers and 220 tourists, placing it in cell M (1.3) of the model's matrix—indicating high cultural significance and sustainability. This positioning suggests that Hoi An Ancient Town is well-suited for sustainable tourism development, balancing market demand with preservation efforts.
Cultural hybridity: The vitality of Hoi An ancient town world cultural heritage
Hoi An Ancient Town stands out for its enduring cultural vitality, driven by a unique phenomenon of cultural hybridity. Unlike many other heritage sites that struggle to maintain relevance, Hoi An thrives due to the dynamic interaction between local communities and visitors, blending traditional values with contemporary practices. This study identifies two key factors contributing to its appeal: the seamless integration of guest culture with local heritage and strong government commitment to preservation. By interviewing heritage managers and observing interactions in situ, researchers reveal how this hybridity not only preserves Hoi An’s original cultural value but also sustains livelihoods for residents while attracting global tourism. The findings offer insights into methods for enhancing the vitality of other UNESCO-recognized sites through deliberate cultural exchange and governance support.
Researching the capacity of Hoi An ancient town in the policy-making for sustainable tourism development
Hoi An Ancient Town faces significant tourism overcapacity, with 2019 visitor numbers (5.35 million) exceeding its sustainable limit by 1.52 times. Research calculates the town's Physical Carrying Capacity (PCC) and Effective Real Carrying Capacity (ERCC), determining that 3.53 million annual visitors is the maximum for sustainable development. To mitigate this, the study proposes two key policy measures: creating vacation periods to reduce peak tourism pressure and redistributing key tourist markets. These strategies aim to restructure tourism demand, ensuring long-term preservation of Hoi An's heritage while balancing economic benefits.
Measuring resident place attachment in a World Cultural Heritage tourism context: the case of Hoi An (Vietnam)
Local residents in Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam, exhibit strong and positive place attachment to their World Cultural Heritage site, shaped by dimensions of emotional affinity (place affect), identity (place identity), and reliance on the heritage for well-being (place dependence). This finding highlights how UNESCO designation fosters deep connections between residents and their cultural environment. The study developed a scalable measurement tool using semi-structured interviews with 38 participants followed by a survey of 405 residents, offering insights into the role of heritage status in structuring resident-tourist dynamics.
Satisfaction of tourists to Hoi An ancient town, Vietnam
Tourist satisfaction at Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam, is primarily influenced by three key factors: responsiveness, reliability, and empathy. These factors were identified through structural equation modeling (SEM), which also validated the relationships using Cronbach’s Alpha, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The findings suggest that enhancing these aspects of service quality could significantly improve visitor satisfaction, offering actionable insights for local tourism management and businesses. This study provides a data-driven approach to understanding and optimizing the tourist experience in UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The adaptive resilience of living cultural heritage in a tourism destination
A novel multidimensional model of adaptive resilience challenges conventional social-ecological systems (SES) theory by revealing contrasting bottom-up 'revolt' and top-down 'remember' functions in living cultural heritage destinations. Applied to Hoi An Ancient Town this study extends the SES framework to contextualize tourism development amid complex political, social, cultural, and economic concerns. It highlights the role of Indigenous knowledge and practices in community resilience while emphasizing the dynamic interplay between local adaptation and heritage conservation.
UNESCO World Heritage Designation
UNESCO World Heritage designation at Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam, has spurred significant economic growth through tourism but raises concerns about social and environmental sustainability. The study highlights challenges such as land speculation, inflation, cultural commodification, and environmental degradation, which threaten the long-term viability of heritage management in developing countries. Researchers analyzed these impacts using a case study approach, revealing that while Hoi An attracts large tourist numbers and achieves economic success, unsustainable practices risk undermining its heritage value.
Zoning for world heritage sites: dual dilemmas in development and demographics
Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) since 1999, has faced dual dilemmas of development and demographics due to rapid tourism growth. A longitudinal study reveals that while tourism has driven economic benefits and conservation funds, it has also led to the 'museumification' of the core zone—characterized by architectural renovations and a 20% population decline—as traditional residences were converted into commercial spaces. Concurrently, the buffer zone experienced accelerated development, though craft villages around its perimeter showed potential for revitalization. The research combines interviews, census data, spatial planning guidelines, and maps to highlight the social sustainability implications of WHS zoning, offering insights for more integrated adaptive-reuse policies in living heritage sites globally.
Case Study Vietnam: Climate change impacts on UNESCO World Heritage - the case of Hoi An Ancient Town.
Hoi An Ancient Town faces significant climate change impacts that threaten its tourism-driven economy and heritage assets. Research reveals three key challenges: coastal erosion from sea-level rise along Cua Dai, increased storm severity damaging wooden houses, and reduced tourist attractiveness due to mitigation efforts. While the city relies heavily on tourism for economic growth, excessive visitor numbers both exacerbate climate risks and suffer their consequences. Despite these pressures, long-term solutions remain underdeveloped, highlighting urgent needs for adaptive strategies.
Living heritage, community participation and sustainability
Hoi An Ancient Town demonstrates that living heritage, when combined with community participation, can significantly enhance sustainable preservation and reduce tensions between local residents and broader urban development. The study highlights the importance of a community-based approach to heritage management, which supports locals in maintaining their way of life while preserving cultural significance. However, it also identifies a key limitation: the lack of facilitators hinders deeper community engagement. This research contributes new insights into how living heritage can bridge social, economic, and environmental scales beyond designated World Heritage boundaries, offering a model for balancing preservation with dynamic urban growth.
Urban Heritage, Development and Sustainability
A critical disconnect exists between UNESCO's urban heritage frameworks and local development priorities, particularly in balancing conservation with economic growth. The study examines case studies from Hoi An Ancient Town (Vietnam) to Laos, Mozambique, and Hong Kong, revealing how top-down heritage management often clashes with grassroots needs. It highlights the potential of stakeholder involvement and adaptive strategies—such as the 'Historic Urban Landscape' approach—to reconcile conservation with development sustainably. Research combines qualitative analysis of policy implementation, community narratives, and urban planning challenges to propose actionable frameworks for preserving intangible cultural heritage while addressing poverty and displacement.
World Heritage in poverty alleviation: Hoi An Ancient Town, Viet Nam
Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Viet Nam, demonstrates how cultural heritage can serve as a catalyst for sustainable poverty alleviation. The study highlights that local community engagement, coupled with economic reforms like Doi Moi, has led to significant reductions in poverty through diversified resource bases and responsive infrastructure development. Public-private partnerships further enhance this progress, offering a model for sustainable human development. This case study underscores the potential of World Heritage sites as demonstration projects for inclusive growth.
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