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Hoi An, Vietnam Celebrates the Pedestrian in Historic Old Town
By huonglan | December 16, 2009
In a country that’s notorious for its freewheeling vehicular traffic and frenetic motorbike scene, there’s one burgeoning oasis of calm on the Central Coast of Vietnam.
In Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site that achieved an international reputation as a trading port in the 16th Century – and has hardly changed since — the city has expanded a pilot program that is closing the streets to motor vehicle traffic.
Now celebrating its 10th Anniversary as a World Heritage Site, the city is shutting down its Old Town streets to motor vehicles for most of the workday Monday through Saturday (Tuesday and Thursday excepted) and for two-and-a-half hours every evening but Sunday.
“Even if you’ve been to Hoi An before, a motor-free Hoi An creates an ambiance that’s right out of your dreams of old Indochina,” said Chris Duffy, general director of the Life Resorts. “The most captivating part of this city is the spell of the 17th Century, inspired by these remarkable buildings, and the subtle turns of these streets — an experience made all the more magical by the absence of motorbikes.”
No other city in Vietnam has equaled Hoi An in its commitment to motor-free zones. Indeed, the seven streets of the Hoi An motor-free zone may be the only such space in the country.
The streets closed to motor vehicle traffic are sections of Le Loi, Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Bach Dang, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Hoang Van Thu and Nhi Trung.
The Life Heritage Resort Hoi An, recently hailed by Conde Nast Traveler in its Readers’ Choice Awards as one of the 25 Top Resorts in Asia, is the only major resort within walking distance of the storied Old Town.
The city recently ran a riverside promenade along the Thu Bon River by Hoi An. Now that the city has expanded its commitment to walking, the Life Heritage Resort is expanding its focus on pedestrians. One of the resort’s major initiatives is to be a walking tour of the Old Town in 2010.
“For people who love to walk, we can’t think of a better destination in Vietnam,” said Erik Billgren, general manager of the Life Heritage Resort Hoi An. “You walk through streets, through time and right into the heart of Vietnam.”
ABOUT LIFE RESORTS
Life Resorts owns and operates two resorts in Vietnam and manages a third. On Vietnam’s central coast, the 94-room Life Heritage Resort Hoi An evokes the colonial splendor of a bygone era on a quiet stretch of the Thu Bon River within walking distance of the trading port’s world-famous downtown. On the south-central coast, the 63-room Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon is dedicated to the tenets of wellness, from yoga, tai chi and Pilates to an ample range of spa treatments and anti-stress and detox programs. Four hours from Ho Ch Minh City, Life manages the 84-room Blue Ocean Resort, featuring a 153-meter private beach, a 26-meter swimming pool and lush tropical grounds.
The Dutch resort company is also developing a property on Halong Bay and will manage the new Life Resort Danang, each opening in early 2010.
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