:> A cultural crossroad
The ancient town of Hoi An is located by the bank of the peaceful Thu Bon River in the central province of Quang Nam. It is a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage area.
Hoi An Ancient Town emerged when Japanese and Chinese traders built a commercial district there in the 16th century. As one of the busiest commercial ports the Central Vietnam frequented by trading ships from many countries, Hoi An was a meeting point for many cultures that left their mark in the different architectural features of its wooden buildings.
Hoi An has a distinct Chinese atmosphere with low, moss-covered tile roofed houses and narrow street. 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. Shops along the sidewalks have only enough space for arranging a few chairs and table sets to serve visitor’s food and beverage needs or give them room for reading books comfortably. Everything - houses, pagodas, temples, etc in Hoi An are old-aged and ancient but affectionate, familiar and warmly-felt and make visitors feel relaxed, unworried and unhurried.
Long parallel streets have the wooden bridge called Pagoda Bridge or Japanese Bridge. The bridge with a low tiled roof and handrail for pedestrians was a unique covered structure built by the Japanese in Hoi An.
Customs, conventions and old-aged cultural activities inherited, preserved and developed well by Hoi An people make Hoi An a living museum of culture and architecture. Coming to Hoi An, you’ll find peculiar features in its people’s way of living: both as calm and thoughtful as the Eastern and polite, elegant as the Western. Their characteristics of hospitality, modesty and simplicity have been well-know worldwide.
:> Full-moon Festival
Full-moon or lantern festival is held on the 15th day of each lunar month. On these evening, the town turns all of its street lamps, flourescent lights and televisions, leaving the Old Quarter bathed in the warm glow of couloured silk, glass, paper and bamboo lanterns. These scenes bring visitors back to the 19th century at the place where there were neither high-rise buildings nor advertising-neon-light supermarkets.
Here and there in the street corners or on the sidewalk sat old women by their food-selling bamboo frames whose baskets containe food and are surrounded by clients eating and talking excitedly. And in wood-fronted shops, women in traditional dress sitting at a desk, bathed in the light of a lantern while men were absorbed in a candlelit game of Chinese checkers outside.
:> Cua Dai Beach
Cua Dai Beach is only three kilometers from Hoi An town. The beach is composed of white sand, fringed palm and overlooks the South China Sea. It stretches from 30 kilometers and can be empty on weekdays.
