Hoi An today is far different to the Hoi An I knew in the past. Compared to even a few years ago, it is full of shops and hotels. In a hundred metre stretch of road, there are more than 10 shops selling the same stuff and making the same clothes. It's a bit annoying as the old ancient town is slowly disappearing, replaced by these modern activities.
Most of the hotels in Hoi An call themselves "Resorts" but the quality is far away from the meaning of the word. Basically it means they can create their own prices, mostly really over the top expensive. I don't know how they can get their permits to do business. I remember 2 years ago, the hotels usually started at between $15 to $25 per night with a swimming pool and breakfast included but these"Resorts" are charging up to $56 to $85 per night which is too much. I refused to pay that much not because I cannot afford it, but rather that they are not worth that money at all.
Unfortunately, these days small Hoi An old town has far too many tourists. The big tour groups, buses and noise makes it feel like I am in Hanoi or Saigon. Of course, in the short term its good for the local people as tourism has created jobs and improved their standard of living. But sooner or later, Hoi An might suffer as most of the interesting parts are slowly disappearing and people may lose their interest in visiting there.
The number of tourists is increasing so fast which means Hoi An people are getting more commercial minded and not always in a good way. Even though they remain friendly and nice on the surface, I still there is something different in their talk and their reactions when people shop. The charm of the Hoianese is disappearing step by step and is being replaced by modern, western thinking. I hope Hoi An local council considers limiting the numbers of shops, bars, restaurants and "Resorts" and tries to maintain the great old houses around.
