On July 14, DTU held a talk show entitled “Inheriting and Creating Value: A Story of Culture and Tourism in Hoi An and Busan”, to promote the role of young people in inheriting and strengthening tourism culture. Mr. Nguyen Su, former Hoi An Town Party Secretary; Hero of Labor and Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co, Chairman of the DTU Board of Trustees; Professor Lim Sang-taek, Director of the DTU Institute of Hospitality Training & Research, lecturers and students from the Institute of Hospitality Training & Research and the Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities attended.
Mr. Nguyen Su talks about the history of tourism in Hoi An
Mr. Nguyen Su talked about tourism development in Hoi An, where he devoted 25 years as the leader. He explained the changes in tourism that occurred there during that time. “In the 17th and 18th centuries, the people of Hoi An were merchants and the town was a bustling international trade port, full of merchant ships from Japan, China and the West. As times changed, however, Hoi An gradually lost its business to Danang. To keep up, Hoi An had to make changes and chose, long ago, to development local tourism because of the great potential in that field. Initially that strategy was controversial, with mixed agreement and dissent. However, with the perseverance and determination of the town leadership and the people, tourism slowly took off and became the great success it is today. Looking back, I believe it was the townspeople who created and developed the community feeling for tourism. The deciding factor in the success of tourism projects is not size, but whether or not the they aim to benefit the local community.”
Professor Lim Sang-taek is currently Director of the DTU Institute of Hospitality Training & Research, from Busan in South Korea. He was formerly Chairman of the Asia Pacific Tourism Association, a university lecturer and recipient of a lifetime achievement award from President Moon Jae-in. He talked about the similarities between Busan and Hoi An. Both are still dynamic and vibrant towns, which used to be busy trading ports with international cultural interchange between many nations over a long period of time, then both slowly changed to become world famous for their tourism.
Prof Lim Sang-taek tells the story of the Gamcheon mural village
Tran Quang Khai, a Tourism Culture student, was interested in how Gamcheon became a popular and famous mural village. “In 2006, I was one of the pioneers in the regeneration of Gamcheon village,” explained Professor Lim Sang-taek. “Gamcheon was poor and almost forgotten, so we decided to brighten it up and promote tourism there. However, when we tried to organize the people, we met with much resistance. The inhabitants were mostly elderly and happy with their lives, and the young had left to find jobs elsewhere. After much effort, we managed to convince the remaining villagers and developed a tourism strategy step-by-step. Over three million tourists now visit Gamcheon every year, with 60% coming from abroad, including Queen Elizabeth from the United Kingdom.”
Cao Quang Dung, a student of K23 DLL4, was concerned about working in tourism. He wanted to know how he could explain the history of local tourist sites to visitors. Currently, there are many unqualified tour guides with a hazy knowledge of the region who provide incorrect information. The panel agreed and suggested that tourism students must become qualified by intensively researching information on the area, master their knowledge and do their work better. In fact, the inhabitants themselves are actually the best ambassadors of the place where they live and work and can most accurately explain its messages and cultural values to visitors.
Hero of Labor and Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co gave the following sincere advice: “Tourism is humanistic, which is one of the most important factors that make tourism attractive and is in the hands of the provider. Tourism graduates must be well-educated, qualified and be aware of professional ethics. Certain places may have little potential for tourism but the residents themselves may be able to convert it into an ideal location in the development of local businesses.”
(Media Center)