To what extent is rebranding of Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street successful?
To what extent is the rebranding of Hoan Kiem Lake
Walking Street successful?
, To what extent is rebranding of Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street successful?
Introduction
A place, in the geographical sense, describes anything from a town, city, region, to the entire country (Hanna
and Rowley – 2008). It is a space shaped by both individuals and communities over time. Meethan (2006)
believed that a place is essentially more than a physical space or “a passive container within which activities
occur”. Rather, it is “constructed – and continuously reconstructed – through social and political processes
that assign meaning […and can trigger powerful] emotional sentiments that influence how people perceive,
experience, and value the environment” (Cheng, Kruger, & Daniels - 2010). Different places embody
heterogeneously diverse characteristics, which are affected by internal connections between people,
employment, services, and housing and external connections between government policies and globalisation.
However, what differentiates places from places isn’t merely the physical environment but also a sense of
place. According to Corbett in 2006, the meanings that individuals associate with a place may have
instrumental, utilitarian, or intangible values like belonging, beauty, and spirituality. These meanings reflect
how we perceive, engage with, and form attachment to a particular city, region, or country. It is also these
meanings that countries are trying to exploit to create a distinct “brand”.
A brand, to Louroo and Cunha in 2001, is a multidimensional assortment of
functional, emotional, relational, and strategic elements that collectively
generate a unique set of associations in the public mind. The branding of a
locality will highlight to outsiders its meaning in terms of the core benefits,
style, and culture. For instance, New York City’s original “pull” was
centered around both economic interests and a litany of attractions. “A city
that never sleeps” with skyscrapers and blinding lights is normally deemed
the distinct “brand” that this city possesses. This brand wasn’t created by
itself. It is the process of rebranding that greatly contributes to this. Figure 1.1. New York City
Rebranding is a process of choosing an economic aspect of a place to contrate on marketing its selling point to
generate a unique set of perspectives, feelings, and attitudes in people so that a place can become more
attractive and socio-economically viable to potential investors, national and international tourists. Ryder
(2002) claimed that rebranding will assist potential stakeholders to identify the sources of place products
relevant to their needs. This process has key elements such as the urban environment (a city’s artefacts), its
essence (people’s experience of the city), and brandscape (how the city positions itself in relation to others).
Rebranding involves not only the reworking of a city’s existing identities but also re-imaging, redevelopment,
and, in some cases, regeneration. In the same way that large companies like TNCs overhaul or completely
replace their images and relaunch themselves as fresh corporate brands, many cities have sought to establish
completely new brand identities. To do this, they need a strong, clear, intriguing ‘brand’ to gain a competitive
edge.
This process is driven by different motives, from socio-economic perspectives to environmental ones.
Economically wise, the main aim is to replace a lost economic sector with a new one, creating employment
and a positive multiplier effect whilst social incentives aim at encouraging population growth and a more
diverse population in terms of age, socio-economic group, and possibly culture or ethnicity. Regarding the
environment, it is to improve the built environment to the point that an area can project a new, attractive, or
‘green’ image and as a place to be, rather than to avoid.
, To what extent is rebranding of Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street successful?
Though rebranding is believed to bring in lucrative investment and nurture the lucrative tourism industry, it is
subjected to hot debates and controversies among many geographical practitioners and academics. While
Girard (1999) contended that a country like France could not be branded in the same way as a firm or a
product, Anholt (2000) and Olins (2001) argue this is by no means impossible. Meanwhile, Srikatanyoo and
Gnoth argued in 2002 that nations are likely to engage in competitive marketing strategies to improve their
brand images, identities in the global market, as well as stimulate inflow in investment, tourism, services, and
boost economic growth and reputation.
With a view to rebranding a city, different methods, and tools of media are put into practice. According to
McGibbon (2006), places are “surrounded by entire symbolic complexes of images originating from diverse
sources, including art, photography, literature, film, music, television and other forms of advertising.”.
Choosing the right medium is as important as picking a specific aspect of any place to emphasise and promote.
Heritage, retail, sport and leisure, media, arts, culture, science to the sustainable environment are some of the
aspects that a lot of countries, or namely cities, have taken into consideration.
City rebranding is a global phenomenon and has been used recently by cities such as
Barcelona, Seoul, or a classic example: New York. According to the “City Rebranding
Examples” Article from Canny Creative, when facing huge financial insolvency, crime,
and employment challenges in 1977, New York City decided to up the state’s annual
tourism budget from $400,000 to $4.3 million to fund the most audacious and far-
reaching rebranding campaign. With the slogan “I ❤ NY” being the basis of the
advertising strategy developed by the marketing firm of Wells, Rich, Greene under
the directorship of Mary Wells Lawrence, the brand was credited with more than
Figure 1.2. Rebranding of
New York City in 1977. tripling the state’s visitor spending revenue. Similarly, in the UK, there are also well-
documented examples of the rebranding practice. This includes city brands with
slogans such as “Leeds the Happening City” (Ward, 1999), “Stoke-on-Trent: The City that Fires the
Imagination”, “Sheffield the Welcoming City,” and “Birmingham: The Meeting Place of Europe” (Bramwell and
Rawding, 1996).
However, rebranding isn’t restricted to a city. There has been a proliferating common practice of attaching a
fresh brand identity to a particular locality within the city, especially when the area has been redeveloped so
extensively that its basic character has changed. This is called District Rebranding. For instance, Bar-Hillel
reported how Bankside, the rundown area surrounding the Tate Modern Gallery - one of London’s most
popular attractions - was being transformed into “a piece of the West End” with sights more familiar in Covent
Garden including an attractive complex of shops and cafes in pedestrianised alleys leading to the Tate.
Such transformation does not happen only in London but also in other parts of the world, one of which is
Hanoi, Vietnam. Before the 21st century, Vietnam is mostly famous for its devastating war period. Up until
now, traces of the war and historical artefacts can still be seen in a lot of cities and provinces, including the
capital, Hanoi. What makes Hanoi an appealing tourist destination that is utterly different from any other city
in Vietnam is the amalgam of history and modernity. The city’s cultural heritage has been for long reflected
not only physically in the form of museums and age-old markets but also through digitised media footage such
as articles, photographs, paintings, and so forth. Understanding the potential of the selling points of Hanoi, the
government has implemented different strategies, from redevelopment of renowned historic destinations like
, To what extent is rebranding of Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street successful?
the Old Quarter to rebranding of places such as Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street – a famous tourist attraction
that appeals to both domestic and international visitors.
Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street is a project of closing 16 streets
around and near Hoan Kiem Lake, the oldest lake in Vietnam, to
traffic and allow visitors and tourists to wander around and
immerse in the culture of Hanoi. This area is located at the heart
of the capital city, in Hoan Kiem District. Hoan Kiem Lake itself is
one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal
point for its public life. It is famous for its peaceful beauty,
cultural, and historical values.
Legend claims that, in the
mid-15th century, heaven
sent Emperor Ly Thai To a
Figure 1.3. Hoan Kiem Lake in 2018
magical sword, which he used to
drive the Chinese from Vietnam. After the war, a giant golden turtle
grabbed the sword and disappeared into the depth of this lake to
restore the sword to its divine owners, inspiring the name “Ho Hoan
Kiem” (Lake of the Return Sword). The lake is not only special in its
history but also its unique characteristics. The water of the lake has
different colours depending on the reflection of the sky, which could be Figure 1.4. Hoan Kiem Lake in 1890
blue or green, dark, or light.
There is also a collection of sightseeing for tourists to pay a visit to around
Hoan Kiem Lake such as Ngoc Son Temple, The Huc Bridge, and Turtle
Tower, which makes it hustle and bustle all day. Moreover, prior to the
official opening of the Walking Street, the streets surrounding the lake
were closed at times for special occasions and cultural celebrations such
as Independence Day, Lunar New Year, and so forth as illustrated in figure
1.5. It was these kinds of events that enabled the authority to see the
lucrative potential of Hoan Kiem Lake as a tourist attraction with more
diverse activities to offer.
Figure 1.5. Hoan Kiem Lake during
special occasions before the Thus, after witnessing the fruitfulness from the operation of the Walking
opening of the Walking Street. Street from Hang Dao to Dong Xuan Street in the Old Quarter nearby in
2004 in figure 1.6, the opening of Hoan Kiem Lake Walking Street was
proposed and officially put into operation on September 1, 2016. All
the streets are closed to traffic on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from
7 PM - 2 AM in the summer and 6 PM - 2 AM in the winter. During the
Walking Street operation, the city allows hotels of 3 stars or more,
bars, and restaurants in the Hoan Kiem Lake area to be open until 2
am the next morning. Figure 1.6. Old Quarter Walking Street.
