Hoi An, once a major Southeast Asian and Vietnam trading post in the 16th and 17th centuries, is basically a living museum that houses old-town architecture. Some notable heritage buildings include Chinese temples, a Japanese-designed bridge, pagodas, wooden shop-houses, French-colonial houses, and old canals. Although large-scale trading had long moved elsewhere, Hoi An has been successful in preserving and restoring its charming roots and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1999.

Hoi An is also known for its great food, fun shopping, skilled tailors, friendly people and cosy atmosphere – all key characteristics that draw people to this picturesque town.

The Old Town

Two great things about Hoi An’s Old Town are that it is small enough to walk around in on foot and the traffic is not as heavy as in bigger cities. Some of the streets only allow bike and motorbike traffic and some of them are pedestrian only. These factors make Hoi An even more inviting for most travelers to Vietnam, especially those who have passed through frenetic Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) or Hanoi.

According to Hoi An statistics, there are 1360 relics including 1068 old houses, 11 ancient wells, 38 family temples, 19 pagodas, 43 shrines, 23 communal houses, 44 special ancient tombs and a covered bridge. Despite the moving time Hoi An ancient town retains the most ancient beauty. It is like a place where we can find a lively museum preserved almost intact, making Hoi An a unique place in the annals of modern times.

Many buildings in the Old Town were constructed over a century ago and feature strong Chinese influences stemming from merchants from Guangzhou, Fujian, Chiu Chow and Hainan. Some of the wooden signboards bearing the shop names are carved and gilded in Chinese characters, reflecting the strong presence of the Chinese in Hoi An ever since its prosperous times.