Hoi An

Hoi An - Viet Nam is a city on the coast in the South Central of the country, in Quang Nam province, 30km from Danang international airport, about 850km from Hanoi, and roughly the same distance from Ho Chi Minh city.

It is a little beautiful town by the bank of Thu Bon River with old houses, shops, and little temples line along small streets that bear the trace of hundreds of years.

The ancient quarter of Hoi An is rather small, just within walking distance but is the kind of place you may get stuck for few days. There are lots to do and to kill your time here.

Hoi An or Faifo used to be the largest international port and was an important trading center in the south of Vietnam in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Here, merchants from different corners of the World came to exchange business. There were Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, French, Japanese, Chinese, and so on gathered along at this harbor to have their product traded. Hoi An became an important call on the sea trading route from the East to the West and within Asia. During that time, Japanese and Chinese built lots of houses and shops to serve their business as well as their stay here. As a result, Hoi An architecture is a mix of Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese traditional styles. The legacy of that prosperous time remains until today with houses, shops, family chapels, and clan temples and so on concentrated along the riverbank on some street now called Hoi An ancient town. All most of them are still in good condition though some hundreds of years have passed by.

The importance of Hoi An just declined in the middle of the 19th century when the river was gradually silted up, forcing cargo ships to call at Da Nang harbor and leaving Hoi An almost untouched and out of changes that happen in the country for more than a hundred years.

Hoi An was recognized by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage in 1999 for its exceptional historical and cultural values.

Hoi An today is a living museum with its vivid character of ancient architecture, peaceful but lively atmosphere, colorful appearance of all type of products and people who living there.

Hoi An has many bars, hotels, and resorts that have been built in the central of the city and surrounding area that makes Hoi An becomes a great place to wander around and is called a paradise for shoppers especially fashion lovers.

Every month on the full moon, the Town is lightened up by thousands of lanterns hanging on the front door of every house and the river as well make it a magical land.

Hoi An is also the place of good food, especially traditional style with famous dishes such as Cao Lau, My Quang... Pick up a good restaurant or café is never been a difficult affair.

One or two days is not enough for this town; you surely need more than that. Just walk around, call into some museums or temple, take some best photo and enjoy your shopping.

Hoi An countryside is a great place to mingle yourself into peaceful nature and discover the rural lifestyle of Vietnam. Further a bit, for a half-day tour you can visit My Son, the holy land of the Champa Kingdom, one of World heritage in the county, or drop at Marble Mountain to have a climb for marvelous sightseeing.

Cua Dai beach, just four km from Hoi An center offers a great chance for swimming and relaxing…

Hoi An, a very charming town, though not very big but enough for you to have an unforgettable experience.