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THE
NORTH
I THE
CENTRAL
I
THE
SOUTH |
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 The
ancient
town
of
Hoi
An,
30
km
south
of
Danang,
lies
on
the
banks
of
the
Thu
Bon
River.
Occupied
by
early
western
traders,
Hoi
An
was
one
of
the
major
trading
centers
of
Southeast
Asia
in
the
16th
century.
Hoi
An
has
a
distinct
Chinese
atmosphere
with
low,
tile-roofed
houses
and
narrow
streets;
the
original
structure
of
some
of
these
streets
still
remains
almost
intact.
All
the
houses
were
made
of
rare
wood,
decorated
with
lacquered
boards
and
panels
engraved
with
Chinese
characters.
Pillars
were
also
carved
with
ornamental
designs.
Tourists
can
visit
the
relics
of
the
Sa
Huynh
and
Cham
cultures.
They
can
also
enjoy
the
beautiful
scenery
of
the
romantic
Hoi
An
River,
Cua
Dai
Beach,
and
Cham
Island.
Over
the
last
few
years,
Hoi
An
has
become
a
very
popular
tourist
destination
in
Vietnam. |
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Light
Bright
In a
wood-fronted
shops
a
woman
in
traditional
dress
sits
at a
desk,
bathed
in
the
light
of a
lantern
made
from
a
simple
bamboo
fish-trap.
Outside,
two
old
men
are
absorbed
in a
candlelit
game
of
Chinese
checkers.
These
scenes,
straight
out
of
the
19th
century,
still
take
place
in
Hoi
An,
a
sleepy
riverside
town
in
the
central
province
of
Quang
Nam.
Hoi
An
has
long
been
a
cultural
crossroad.
More
than
five
centuries
ago
the
Vietnamese
nation
of
Dai
Viet
expanded
its
territory
southwards,
encroaching
on
the
Indianized
Kingdom
of
Champa,
which
covered
much
of
what
is
now
central
Vietnam.
Hoi
An,
located
on
the
Hoai
River,
emerged
when
Japanese
and
Chinese
traders
built
a
commercial
district
there
in
the
16th
century.
These
diverse
cultural
influences
remain
visible
today.
Visitors
will
find
Hoi
An's
Old
Quarter
lined
with
two-storey
Chinese
shops,
their
elaborately
carved
wooden
facades
and
moss-covered
tile
roofs
having
withstood
the
ravages
of
more
than
300
years
of
weather
and
warfare.
These
proud
old
buildings,
which
back
onto
the
river,
remind
visitors
of
another
era,
when
Hoi
An's
market
was
filled
with
wares
from
as
far
afield
as
India
and
Europe.
Colourful
guildhalls,
founded
by
ethnic
Chinese
from
Guangdong
and
Fujian
provinces,
stand
quietly,
a
testament
to
the
town's
trading
roots.
While
Hoi
An's
old-fashioned
charm
is
always
visible,
on
the
14th
of
every
lunar
month
modernity
takes
another
step
back.
On
these
evenings
the
town
turns
off
its
street
lamps
and
fluorescent
lights,
leaving
the
Old
Quarter
bathed
in
the
warm
glow
of
coloured
silk,
glass
and
paper
lanterns.
In
ancient
times,
Vietnamese
people
made
lamps
out
of
shallow
bowls
filled
with
oil.
Later,
foreign
traders
introduced
lanterns,
ranging
from
round
and
hexagonal
designs
from
China
to
diamond
and
star
shaped
ones
from
Japan. |
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Let
there
be
light
When
developing
plans
to
preserve
their
town's
ancient
character,
Hoi
An
residents
decided
to
revive
the
practice
of
using
coloured
lanterns.
Starting
in
the
fall
of
1998,
one
night
each
month
is
declared
a
"lantern
festival".
On
the
14th
day
of
each
lunar
month,
residents
on
Tran
Phu,
Nguyen
Thai
Hoc,
Le
Loi
and
Bach
Dang
streets
switch
off
their
lights
and
hang
cloth
and
paper
lanterns
on
their
porches
and
windows.
Television
sets,
radios,
street
lights
and
neon
lights
are
turned
off.
In
the
ensuing
quiet
the
streets
of
Hoi
An
are
at
their
most
romantic,
the
darkness
broken
only
by
jeweltoned
lanterns
in
all
manner
of
shapes
and
sizes.
Strolling
through
the
lantern-lit
streets
is
like
walking
into
a
fairytale.
It
is
all
the
more
picturesque
since
motor
vehicles
are
banned
from
Hoi
An's
Old
Quarter.
On
Trai
Phu
Street,
stop
at
the
beautifully
preserved
Faifo
Restaurant
to
sample
some
traditional
Chinese-style
pastries.
Or
walk
on
to
the
Treated
Café,
where
bamboo
baskets,
commonly
used
to
wash
rice,
have
been
transformed
into
unique
lanterns.
These
basket
lamps
are
but
one
example
of
people's
creativity
as
they
experiment
with
new
shapes
and
materials,
including
lights
made
from
hollow
bamboo
tubes. |
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A
Warm
Glow
The
14th
day
of
the
lunar
month
is a
Buddhist
day
of
worship.
Residents
place
offerings
of
food
and
incense
on
their
ancestral
altars
and
visit
one
of
Hoi
An's
many
pagodas.
The
scent
of
incense
and
the
sounds
of
people
singing
add
to
the
town's
enchanted
atmosphere.
On
these
evenings,
visitors
will
get
a
rare
glimpse
into
another
era.
These
nights
are
a
welcome
reminder
of
life's
unexpected
beauty. |
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Today,
Hội
An
is
still
a
small
city,
but
it
attracts
a
fair
number
of
tourists,
also
being
a
well
established
place
on
the
backpacker
trail.
Many
visit
for
the
numerous
art
and
craft
shops
and
tailors,
who
produce
made-to-measure
clothes
for
a
fraction
of
the
western
price.
Several
Internet
cafés,
bars
and
restaurants
have
opened
along
the
riverfront.
Some
popular
evening
venues,
especially
with
Western
visitors,
are
Tam
Tam's
restaurant
and
bar,
the
Before
and
Now
bar
on
Le
Loi,
the
Mango
restaurant
as
well
as
the
Salsa
on
the
other
side
of
the
river. |
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Hoi
An
is
famed
for
its
centuries
old
Cao
Lau
noodle,
which
can
only
be
uniquely
served
here. |
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