The French street in Hoi An

(QNO) – The project to renovate the old French quarter in Hoi An city to become a center of culture and arts is promoted to implement.

A corner of the old French quarter.

The art street

Phan Boi Chau street, the main street of the old French quarter in Hoi An city, is going to be turned into the art street (la rue des arts) by photographer Réhahn, some artists and the owners of museums, fine art and craft galleries. The street used to lead to the harbor, the place of trading exchange between the old French and the old Vietnamese in the Central. It is currently home to many galleries and crafts stores. So, reviving “la rue des arts” meets both the desire of a French style route and the demand of an art and culture street in Hoi An.

The idea of “la rue des arts” is also approved by the UNESCO, leaders of the Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Hoi An Center for Culture and Information.

Photographer Réhahn (white T-shirt) with his idea of the French style street

As planned, besides the art and craft galleries, the street is also a space of art performances and exchanges. The first will be the Co Tu ethnic musical performance on August 6th.

Awaken French cultural values

French architecture partly contributes to Hoi An’s beauty and its cultural values. Along with the constructions, the appearance of French style arts such as painting, music, cuisine makes the cultural diversity in Hoi An.

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of French tourists visit Hoi An ancient town each year. It is a big market of tourism. Therefore, the project of the French art street in Hoi An city can be considered as one of the keys to attract more French people to Hoi An. At present, the project is promoted with the consultancy from the French Consulate General in Vietnam, the French Institute of Architecture, the UNESCO Office in Hanoi and the Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Accordingly, about 120m of the Phan Boi Chau street (from the junction of Truong Minh Luong to the crossroads of Hoang Dieu) will be renovated by using French light posts and repainting the houses in yellow. The color derives from the idea of Hoi An- the Golden city. In this street, there will be a space for French culture (including arts exhibition, photography, fashion shows, cuisine introduction, musical performances, books and documents, French-Vietnamese classes, French clubs…)

Museums and art galleries in Phan Boi Chau street

Most of the houses in this street are of French architecture. The French-Vietnamese cultural street is not only an original destination but also a starting point of Vietnam-France comprehensive and effective cooperation.

For Réhahn, the street is a tribute to the cultural diversity and riches of Hoi An and Vietnam.