Street in the mind of urban people
One weekend morning, a friend from the South who had not been back for a long time excitedly invited me to visit a coffee town. When I asked which town, he suddenly paused, perhaps out of surprise, and then said firmly: “It’s Vinh Dien, of course.”
It is almost 10 years since Vinh Dien changed its administrative unit from town to ward, but perhaps in the subconscious of the residents here, the affectionate name of the town is still deeply imprinted. Because not long ago, only this place was a street, the surrounding areas were all villages. Whenever visiting the town, everyone assumed that they were going to the street.
This is similar to the way many elderly people in Hoi An still call the city they live in a town. Because the scale of this urban area is quite small and has a slow, peaceful pace of life. Even international tourists still often call this place a town because in their eyes, Hoi An streets are beautiful and small.
Mr. Tran Anh - Secretary of Hoi An City Party Committee said: "Hoi An urban area was formed in the early 17th century, and the urban population has also been formed for more than 400 years. Hoi An's development speed is quite unique and slow, mainly promoting its own identity and difficult to develop according to common standards.
There are too many type II urban areas in the country, so Hoi An does not necessarily have to strive at all costs to achieve type II urban status, but the most important thing is to preserve the urban identity of this cultural heritage, this living heritage.
Remember the story of protecting the plan to name Trung Phuoc town when upgrading the urban area for Que Trung commune, the Provincial People's Committee said that the place name "Trung Phuoc" has existed in history for a long time (since the feudal period under the Tay Son dynasty) and entered the subconscious of every person in the region and people everywhere know it.
In the memories of the people of the land at the source of the mother river Thu Bon, Trung Phuoc has been bustling like a city for generations - a "city" located in a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides, with residents gathering around a market that is hundreds of years old.
Before Trung Phuoc town was officially established (in 2023), residents in this midland region still considered Trung Phuoc to be the shadow of Nong Son.
Therefore, even though after moving to the city, it had to "change its name" from Que Trung commune to Trung Phuoc town, the town's people still highly agreed, because from now on, the name Trung Phuoc will continue to follow the development of the country.
Considerations in urban planning
Following the trend, some wards and towns in the province will have to merge. However, there are also special administrative units that have been considered by the authorities to remain the same despite being under consideration. The most obvious are the two wards of Minh An and Son Phong in Hoi An City.
Due to a number of historical reasons, a group of Chinese people migrated to Hoi An to live, do business, settle down and established a community organization called Minh Huong village.
Around the middle of the 17th century, Minh Huong commune (Minh An ward today) was established. Through the development process, along with the settlement process, Minh Huong people built many architectural works to serve their cultural and religious activities.
Minh An ward is currently located the World Cultural Heritage of Hoi An ancient town recognized by UNESCO in 1999. The old town has an area of about 5km2 and most of the famous relics are located in Minh An ward. In addition, there are currently about 1,300 Vietnamese of Chinese origin living here.
Meanwhile, Son Phong ward has a part of the old town area with many ancient relics; has Hoi An Prison; has a long-established central market with bustling trading activities. Both wards have stable administrative boundaries. Since 1945 until now, there have been no changes or adjustments.
According to the regulations of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, it is also mentioned that administrative units with characteristics of historical traditions, culture, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, customs and practices that, if arranged with another adjacent administrative unit, will lead to instability in national defense, security, order and social safety, are not required to be arranged.
Not only do villages possess a treasure trove of unique values, many street corners also contain sediments from the ups and downs of the country. Therefore, it is necessary to consider and evaluate comprehensively before rearranging such urban areas to avoid "more harm than good".
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