Overview Hoi An
Hoi An is an ancient town, located on the bank of Thu Bon river, in Quang Nam Province, Central of Vietnam and is about 30 km from Da Nang City. Tranquil, cozy and beautiful are how travelers say about Hoi An old town - one of the best ancient town in Vietnam. Coming to Hoi An, you will never forget the lanterns are lit up, special cuisine, attraction places, the butterflies in your head when standing beside Hoi An riverside at night. Hoi An could be considered as a living museum of Vietnamese old-town architecture, being a major Southeast Asian trading port in the 16th and 17th century. The ancient town is actually a complex of various works, including pagodas, Vietnamese wooden shop-houses, Chinese temples, Japanese bridge, French-colonial houses. The unique town has been successfully recovered and preserved its charm, which attracts travelers from all over the world, and it was declared as UNESCO World Heritage site in December, 1999. Hoi An is actually quite small area, enough for you to stroll around the whole area on foot. Motorbikes are only allowed on some of the streets, while the center area is opened for walkers only. Walking along the roads, travelers are interested in many different kinds of souvenirs, handcrafts, clothing and restaurants. Although many old houses have been changed to modern business, they still prior preserving the ancient style for the works. Fortunately, this is the place where you can enjoy both visiting attractive places and experience local culture, cuisine within walking distance. You might love to see the museum of history and culture, Chinese Communal House, Hoi Kien Temple, ancient Tan Ky Merchants’ Houses, the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge & spending time in Colorful Hoi An Local Market. If you are not so much interested in walking, then cycling around is another good choice to discover the UNESCO World Heritage site. The ancient town also offers cultural experience, such as water puppet show, traditional art performances, Thanh Ha Pottery village,… These kinds of traditional arts have been developed since 1996 and have a long history.