Hoian

In this UNESCO-designated river town, you can tour centuries-old merchant houses, and visit busy silk and fish markets. Hoi An is an ancient port town on the Thu Bon River 30 km south of Da Nang. Known as Faifo to early Western traders, it was one of Southeast Asia’s major international ports during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Hoi An was an important port of call for Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and other trading vessels. Today, parts of Hoi An look exactly as they did a century and a half ago, and it still preserves hundreds of houses built of precious wood in a very original style of architecture. There is a Japanese quarter linked with a Chinese neighborhood by a covered bridge, which was constructed in 1593 by the Japanese community in Hoi An. This bridge reflects the Japanese preference for understatement and is still in its original style. The Chinese community in Hoi An is fond of many temples and assembly halls, which are worth visiting again and again.