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| The riverside area along the Nhu Y River attracts many visitors for sightseeing and entertainment |
Possessing many streets with potential
As a central urban ward, Thuan Hoa possesses several streets with potential for developing night-time economy, including the Chu Van An - Pham Ngu Lao - Vo Thi Sau streets, the Hai Ba Trung street, and the pedestrian routes along the Huong River, and the Nhu Y River, with relatively complete infrastructure, open spaces, and convenient connections to tourist attractions, especially the area along the Huong River. However, these streets have yet to fully realize their potential, mainly due to the lack of regular cultural and artistic activities capable of retaining visitors.
At Hai Ba Trung Night Street, despite a fully developed and well-maintained infrastructure located in the city center and surrounded by a cinema, restaurants, and hotels, visitor numbers have remained below expectations after years of operation. According to Ms. Tran Thi Luu, a local business owner, due to the low number of visitors, investing in shop upgrades or expanding services has also been very difficult. “There needs to be activities that attract visitors so that business owners will feel confident enough to invest,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Chu Van An - Pham Ngu Lao - Vo Thi Sau streets, considered a “bright spot” for attracting visitors, have not yet truly made their distinctive mark despite being in operation for some time. The lively atmosphere mainly comes from individual service establishments, while the connection to form an overall experience chain is still lacking.
Shaping a night street space along the Nhu Y River
As a central ward, developing a night-time economy is one of Thuan Hoa Ward’s orientations. Learning from existing limitations, the ward leaders have conducted comprehensive surveys and assessments to formulate a synchronized and long-term development plan for pedestrian streets, aiming to establish a diverse night-time economy ecosystem that combines commerce, services, and culture.
Under the orientation, these streets will be reorganized with the participation of various stakeholders, ranging from businesses to individual household enterprises. Service chains involving cuisine, shopping, and entertainment will be interconnected to create a seamless flow, giving visitors a wider range of experiences to choose from.
Within the broader vision, the night street project along the Nhu Y River is considered a key highlight, with its poetic river landscape, and is being developed with a distinctive style, deeply rooted in Hue's cultural identity.
According to Ms. Nguyen Hong Hoa Tranh, Vice Chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Thuan Hoa Ward, unlike the bustling and vibrant night streets found in many other localities, Nhu Y night street is envisioned as gentle and refined. Visitors will come there not only to enjoy food and do shopping, but also to experience unique cultural values such as folk music, ao-dai performances, street art, and traditional handicrafts. Ms. Tranh emphasized that the project aims to create an artistic community space, where visitors can appreciate the cultural depth of the locality, a destination with its own unique identity that enriches nighttime tourism products.
The ward has proposed several concrete solutions, including establishing a management board to oversee operations, compiling a list of participating businesses, and planning parking areas, etc. In particular, utilizing the Nhu Y River’s water surface for floating restaurants and nighttime entertainment activities is expected to provide new experiences.
At a recent consultation meeting on the Nhu Y night street project, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, and Secretary of the Party Committee of Thuan Hoa Ward, called on departments and agencies to coordinate closely with the ward on traffic connectivity, expanding the planning space, and effectively utilizing the Nhu Y River’s water surface. He also emphasized the need to explore and introduce additional unique tourism products and immersive nighttime experiences to create distinctive highlights and attract young people and visitors. At the same time, he requested that the proposal finalization process be accelerated and submitted to Hue City People’s Committee for approval so that the implementation can begin soon.