DA NANG (VNS) — Hoi An has been chosen for the 2013 Townscape Award by the UN-Habitat Regional Office in Asia, vice chairman of Hoi An city's people committee Nguyen Van Dung said yesterday.

The ancient city, one of two UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites in Quang Nam Province, has made efforts to build a green and clean city based on sustainable development, the vice chairman said.

Covering on an area of 60sq.km, the city has developed 22.5sq.km of agriculture and forest and 11sq.km of lakes and channels.

The central city was the first city in Viet Nam to host a Car Free Day and the first location in the central province launching the 3-R (reduce, reuse and recycle) programme while lifting the use of reusable bags.

The city has successfully organised a pedestrian street in the old quarter since 2002 and installed a solar-powered lighting system in the city's Hoai River Square.

A survey showed that 27 per cent of international tourists visited the city to learn about the culture and history of Hoi An, the My Son Sanctuary and the biosphere reserve of the Cham Islands.

Last year, Hoi An was shortlisted in the top ten Asian cities for US magazine Conde Nast's Traveler's Readers Choice Awards.

y Nguyen-Da Lat National Tourism Year 2014. — VNS