Hoi An Ancient Town in Vietnam

Hoi An Ancient Town was recognized as a World Heritage at the 22nd Session of UNESCO’s Council of World Heritage held in Marakesh, Morocco in December 1999. Lying on the coast of Central Vietnam, surrounded by the quiet Thu Bon river, Hoi An has been a renowned destination for many decades with its ancient features and attraction. After its foundation in the 15th century, Hoi An port quickly became a big commercial center in the southern part of Vietnam. The town is now full of vestiges of Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Dutch and Indian people who came here for business or permanent residence and erected lots of pagodas, etc. Today, the original architecture of Hoi An remains roughly unchanged with an array of various constructions, including houses, club-houses, assembly halls, temples, pagodas, wells, bridges, family worshiping places, ports and markets, etc. The traditional lifestyle with time-honoured customs and cultural activities are well maintained. The town is also a living museum of architecture and urban lifestyle. The town is also decorated by numerous tile-roofed ancient houses built hundreds of years ago covered by moss. The Bridge Pagoda (Chua Cau), the most stunning construction of Hoi An, was built by the Japanese during the very first days of the town. Clay tombs of the Cham people are dated back to the 13th-15th century. Hoi An’s touch of romance and its ancient spirit are evident in ancient china glaze plates, glittering lanterns on a full-moon night, quiet streets and unique dishes of Hoi An such as Cao Lau noodle, dumpling cake, and Quai Vac cake.