Many old houses in Hoi An are being put up for sale due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Streets that were previously always bustling with tourists, such as Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Bach Dang, Nguyen Phuc Chu, etc., are now deserted. Most shops selling fabrics, clothes, and food have closed down.

The Tran Phu - Bach Dang intersection is a central area in Minh An ward (Hoi An city). Before the pandemic, it was always bustling with tourists visiting, shopping, and dining. However, according to local business owners, they have had to close for nearly a year due to the lack of customers.

Many old houses on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street have "for rent" or "for sale" signs with prices in the tens of billions of VND because they can no longer survive. Mr. Phan Xuan Thanh, Chairman of the Quang Nam Provincial Tourism Association, said that due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, 70-80% of businesses operating in Hoi An Old Town have returned their premises because of high rental prices and a lack of customers.

Anh Vu, manager of Hoa Anh Dao restaurant, shared: "Previously, our restaurant rented a two-story building with three street frontages for 300 million VND per month. It was always packed with customers, almost always domestic and international tourists. But due to four waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, there were no foreign tourists, so we had to sell coffee on a limited scale. Monthly revenue isn't much, but I still keep it open."

The two-story house has an area of ​​over 200 square meters.²A property on Nguyen Thai Hoc street is being offered for sale by the owner for 60 billion VND. According to the owner, before the pandemic, this was a bustling area and was rented out as a restaurant; however, the previous owner has now vacated the premises.

The house at the intersection of Tran Quy Cap and Nguyen Thai Hoc streets, next to Hoi An market, also has a "for rent" sign posted by the owner. According to locals, it used to be a very popular souvenir shop, but due to the pandemic, the tenant closed down and vacated the premises.

Tran Phu Street (about 20 meters from the Japanese Bridge) used to be a bustling area with many tourists, but due to the pandemic, most shops and restaurants there have closed. The owner of house number 182 Tran Phu said that the rental price used to reach hundreds of millions of VND. However, due to the impact of the pandemic, the rental price now ranges from 30-50 million VND.

Huyen Chau