On January 28th, 2016, representatives of nearly ten international donor agencies gathered in Hanoi in a roundtable meeting on coordination for Vietnam tourism industry. The initiative was led by the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme (known as ESRT Programme) as technical support to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

1. Protecting and Promoting Sustainable Tourism
Development in Viet Nam’s World Heritage Sites
UNESCO Office in Viet Nam
November 2012
I – What is cultural heritage?
II – Why is cultural heritage important
III – How UNESCO helps protect and promote
Viet Nam’s cultural heritage
IV – What are the key challenges and
opportunities in the protection and promotion of
cultural heritage in Vietnam?
UNESCO Office in Viet Nam
January 2016
I. Overall UNESCO support in tourism
II. Central region
III. Achievements
IV. Opportunities and challenges
Promoting Sustainable Tourism Development
in Viet Nam’s Central Region

2. UNESCO World Heritage:
Sustainable Tourism Programme
UNESCO in Viet Nam supports the protection of heritage while
making sure that its values are sustainably used for socio-
economic development through tourism and cultural industries.
In particular, UNESCO has been providing support to policy
makers, site managers and local communities to:
– Promote a comprehensive and integrated approach in
culture/tourism policy formulation and visitor management
plan development
– Promote the values of World Heritage through improvement
of information centers, provision of information panels and
signs, and training and certification of professional Heritage
Guides
– Strengthen World Heritage museums and community-based
museums
– Diversify tourism products and services
– Develop community-based tourism 2

3. Spotlight: Central Viet Nam
• The central region of Viet Nam is
one of the most impacted by
tourism development - the
number of tourists to the region
increased by 250 per cent from
2004 to 2010.
• Home to three UNESCO-
recognized World Heritage sites
(Complex of Hue Monuments,
Hoi An Ancient Town and My
Son Sanctuary), a Biosphere
Reserve (Cham Island) and an
element inscribed in the
Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity (Nha Nhac Court
music).
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4. Spotlight: Central Viet Nam
• With the opening of the new
Da Nang international airport
and inauguration of many
direct international flights, it is
foreseen that the number of
tourists to the region will soar
rapidly in the near future.
• There is an increasing
challenge to ensure that
tourism development in the
region is sustainable,
contributing to the positive
and authentic experience of
tourists, the protection of
local heritage and increasing
benefits of local communities.4

5. Partnership
• Financial support from: One
Plan Fund, Governments of
Korea, Luxembourg, Japan,
Italy; Private sector Asiana
Airlines, Mitsubishi.
• Partnership with ILO,
ESRT, Craft Link and many
local partners
• Long-term support (2009 –
present) with diverse
projects and activities
targeting different
stakeholders and cover a
wide range of topics
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6. Support tourism planning and linkages
• An integrated culture –
tourism strategy ensuring
better linkages between
tourism development, social
cohesion and cultural-
environmental sustainability;
dialogue promoted among
stakeholders
• Three visitor management
plans (2011-2015) for Hoi
An, My Son and Cham
Island, developed on a broad
consultation basis
• Linking Western districts of
Quang Nam with Thua Thien
– Hue; linking coastal districts
with the mountainous region
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7. Promoting World Heritage sites in Viet
Nam
Objective: to sustainably promote the World Heritage
sites in Central Viet Nam to international and domestic
visitors through active involvement of Management
Boards and local communities living in and around the
sites
Activities:
• Promote the World Heritage sites of Hue, Hoi An and
My Son as a joint destination for international and
domestic visitors
• Provide better information on Hue, Hoi An and My
Son to visitors to effectively transmit the site’s values.
• Engage local communities living in and around the
World Heritage sites in promoting the sites’ values to
visitors
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8. Example activity: Develop
information materials for My Son
and for 4 Central World Heritage
sites
World Heritage sites in Viet Nam
either do not provide visitors with
information material or have an
excessive amount which are not
attractively designed and provide
information with poor quality. In
addition, information material has
not been updated, reprinted or
managed in a sustainable way.
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9. Example activity:
Establish information center at
Hoi An world Heritage site:
A pilot activity is taking place to
turn a ticket office in Hoi An to an
innovative information center with
the goal of providing visitors with
information that encourages
them to stay longer, spend more
money, experience more
attractions and return to visit the
region.
Currently none of the WH sites in
Viet Nam have an international
standard information center.
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10. • New or strengthened visitor
centers will result in a more
substantial role in the
sustainable development of
the tourism industry.
• The (re)design of visitor
centers will follow global
trends striving for
sustainability, innovation,
simplicity and accessibility. It
also emphasizes the
sensitivity to local culture
and heritage, the use of
local materials and low cost.
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11. Example activity: Heritage Specialist Guide
training
 Provide accredited guides with the opportunity to
strengthen their skills in interpreting heritage sites and
related cultures.
 Enhance the educational experience of visitors, both
national and international, leading to longer stays and
repeated visits.
 Contribute to sustainable safeguarding of the sites by
sensitizing visitors about conservation issues and advocating
codes of responsible conducts.
 Benefits local communities by training community
members to enhance interaction with visitors.
So far a group of 20 trainers have been trained and over 100
of guides have received certificates. Private sector now is
also interested in organizing the training for their guide
[example: Viettravel] 11

12. Diversify cultural tourism products and
services
Objective: To support income generation activities of local
communities in provinces with World Heritage sites and provide
more enriching experiences to tourists by developing local
culture-based tourism services and products.
Example activity:
• Local communities, in particular women and ethnic
minorities, combine their traditional craft skills and training in
design and marketing to improve their livelihoods.
• Develop a brand for Crafted in Quang Nam
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13. Strengthen World Heritage museums and
community-based museums
Objective: to help improve quality of visitor experience and
visibility of World Heritage site museums and to involve local
communities in interpreting WHS cultural values.
Example activity:
• Joint exhibition “Our Common Heritage”
• Joint exhibition “Cultural vestiges of Champa in the
Quang Region” by My Son WH and Da Nang Museum
of Cham Sculpture
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14. Develop community-based tourism
Objective: to support income generation activities of local
communities in provinces with World Heritage sites, by strengthening
the link between craft production and the tourism sector.
Activities: Develop CBT pilots
• Triem Tay village (Dien Ban, Quang Nam): tourist map,
community garden, renovating cultural house, interactive
activities for tourists, homestay program, handicraft phototour,
etc.
• Thanh Toan village (Thua Thien – Hue): Tourism Collective to
develop community-based products and services, community
museum, information panels at cultural sites.
•
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15. Challenges and opportunities
• Fast tourism growth can bring
negative impacts to heritage if not
carefully planned and managed –
challenges to balance development
and preservation
• Need for comprehensive tourism
planning – to ensure heritage will
bring benefits to tourism promotion
while tourism benefits can also be
re-invested to preserve heritage
• Need for better interpretation
systems of sites so tourists gain
rich experience and knowledge
about heritage
• Local communities have not
benefited much from tourism
development in the region
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16. Cultural Heritage and Sustainable
Tourism
• There is a potential for owners of
cultural heritage to become
involved in protection and
promotion of their heritage, and
earn extra income.
• Great area for inter-sectoral
partnerships and public – private
partnerships.
• Concrete measures to put
heritage and culture in the center
of sustainable development.
• Tourism revenues can provide
additional funds to further
preserve cultural heritage which
at the same time benefits the
tourism industry and local
livelihoods.
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17. Cultural Heritage and Sustainable
Tourism
• UNESCO is seeking
financial support and
partnership to continue
current activities in the
Central Region, develop
new pilots, and expand
successful models to
other regions!
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