Officials explain why Vietnam’s Hoi An Ancient Town is seeing fewer tourists

In recent days, tourism service providers in Hoi An have complained about a prolonged lull in visitor numbers since the start of the low season, saying the UNESCO-listed heritage town has been noticeably quieter than in previous years.

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, deputy head of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said officials were aware of complaints from tourism operators about a prolonged drop in visitors to Hoi An.

According to Phuong, the first and most important reason is seasonality.

Mid-October typically marks the beginning of the rainy season in central Vietnam, bringing heavy rain, storms, and flooding concerns that often discourage travelers from visiting the region or prompt them to cancel planned trips.

“Hoi An welcomes a large number of international tourists. This period is traditionally considered the low season, partly because the destination is associated with the rainy and storm season,” she said.

Nguyen Duc Binh, chief of the Da Nang People's Committee Office and a former Party secretary of Hoi An Ward, said that tourism in Hoi An has historically fluctuated significantly during October and November due to weather conditions.

He said declining visitor numbers during this period are generally familiar to long-time residents and business owners in the ancient town.

“However, for people operating in other areas, the decrease may appear unusual. In reality, this pattern has occurred for many years, not just this year,” Binh said.

He added that heavy rainfall typically begins around this time of year, while water levels in the Hoai River and surrounding areas can rise quickly when upstream regions receive substantial rainfall. These conditions inevitably affect sightseeing and tourism activities.

“Even during the rainy season there are foreign visitors who enjoy experiencing Hoi An by boat, but this is genuinely the low season and visitor numbers are not high,” he said.

A tourism business representative told Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper that, in addition to seasonal and weather-related factors, recent political instability in parts of Europe may also be affecting long-haul travel to Southeast Asia.

“Unrest in France and instability in several other places have certainly had some impact on long-haul flights to Southeast Asia in general and Vietnam in particular. We have also seen tour cancellations linked to these issues,” the representative said.

At the briefing, Phuong also urged media organizations to provide accurate and detailed reporting on weather and natural disaster conditions to avoid unintentionally damaging tourism promotion efforts.

She added that since the merger of Quang Nam Province and Da Nang City into a single administrative unit in July last year, reports about storms and flooding in areas formerly belonging to Quang Nam have frequently been associated with the Da Nang name, creating challenges for tourism marketing and destination branding.