After more than 2 years of temporarily closing the Pham Ngu Lao - Chu Van An - Vo Thi Sau Pedestrian Street (abbreviated to Pedestrian Street), since early May 2022, Hue City has restarted nightlife activities and invested in infrastructure in preparation for the opening of food and shopping streets in order to satisfy the entertainment needs of residents and tourists.
Kick-off of nightlife activities contributes to facilitating businesses and product promotion
Pedestrian Street kicked off
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Hoa Vien Restaurant, 4A Vo Thi Sau, Hue City was jam-packed. However, during the pandemic, tourists rarely came to Hue along with the deserted quarter, so the restaurant owner had to close and temporarily stop business. In early April 2022, the restaurant was transferred to Mr. Nguyen Cuu Toan and is currently being upgraded and renovated to serve customers.
According to Mr. Nguyen Cuu Toan, with the transfer funds of more than VND 40 billion, the restaurant currently continues to invest more funds in refurbishing the entire restaurant, changing the menu, and adding drinks in order to create freshness to attract customers. Around the end of May 2022, the restaurant is expected to open and make a totally new comeback so that tourists can feel the excitement and warmth of a restaurant lying in the prime street of Hue, which contributes to creating an additional culinary venue, meeting the increasingly diverse needs of tourists.
“Pedestrian Street is reopened; nightlife activities are organized, bringing tourists to clothing and food shops, providing an incentive for establishments to invest in upgrading infrastructure, invest more in new products. After 2 years, the atmosphere in Pedestrian Street is now really bustling and attracts tourists," said Ms. Han Chi, a souvenir shop owner on Pham Ngu Lao Street.
Under the guidance of Hue City People's Committee, Phu Hoi Ward People's Committee has consolidated the apparatus of the Pedestrian Street Management Board including 6 people and associated with art troupes to organize cultural and artistic activities on 3 weekend evenings. Simultaneously, it has worked with 50 establishments using sidewalks for business and planned to develop more services to diversify entertainment services on weekend evenings.
Souvenirs - gifts exhibited at Hue Royal Citadel Night Street
Night tourism developed
According to Head of Economic Department of Hue City, Mr. Dong Si Toan, aside from putting the Royal Citadel Night Street into operation, restarting the Pedestrian Street with many attractive cultural and artistic activities, in June 2022, the city will continue to bring into operation Hai Ba Trung Pedestrian Street, the section from Dong Da intersection to Ngo Quyen Street parterre in order to better the available commercial and service activities. Simultaneously, it continues to invest in infrastructure to make this street typical of Hue and to create more places for walking, shopping and enjoying night food.
Also in late May and early June 2022, the city continues to complete the project to use sidewalks for business regarding the streets that were surveyed and met the set criteria, including Nguyen Van Huyen (Phu Hoi), Truong Dinh, Pham Hong Thai (Vinh Ninh); alley 139 Tran Hung Dao (Dong Ba)… with a pilot period of 6 months.
Simultaneously, it continues to improve the infrastructure to form Han Thuyen food street, Huynh Thuc Khang, Chuong Duong food and shopping street and continues to call for investment in Dong Ba Bus Station in order to form the nightlife quarter and exploit Hue space of specialties exhibition at 15 Le Loi.
Hue City has been researching investment in infrastructure of the transportation system in accordance with the pedestrian street for Hai Ba Trung Street, investing in the electric lighting system of Nguyen Van Huyen Street, embellishing Huynh Thuc Khang sidewalk; researching the plan to ensure security, order and commercial civilization in order to put into operation Truong Dinh - Pham Hong Thai Food Street.
The city also continues to finalize the project for developing the Royal Citadel night street on Dang Thai Than and Doan Thi Diem streets. The pedestrian path along both banks of the Perfume River, Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street will be developed in the direction of street culture and art; the reading spaces will be built to create highlight for the space on both sides of the river.
Alongside the central areas, the city is developing tourism on the outskirts in order to connect the tours, tourist routes in the province, with the focus on forming Ru Cha experience tourist area, Con Te cuisine area (Huong Phong) grounded on the potential, available advantages and enhancing beach service quality, building parking lots. Also, it invests in infrastructure to develop Hai Duong coast community tourism, improves Thuan An beach service quality and develops the tours to visit Thanh Tien paper flower craft village, Sinh Village paintings (Phu Mau).
In the upper Perfume River, the city boosts the exploitation of Nguyen Dynasty monuments, develops more appealing tourist destinations such as Khe Ngang (Huong Ho), Khe Rung Lake (Huong Tho), develops community-based tourism in combination with sightseeing monuments… in order to connect tours, tourist routes from Tam Giang Lagoon, Thuy Bieu, Kim Long ecotourism with historical landmarks and ideal destinations in the upstream area with an eye to offering Hue a vivid and inviting tourist picture.
Story and photos: Ngoc Khanh