Hoi An

Historically known as ‘Faifo’, Hoi An was a major maritime hub in Asia and the largest commercial port in Vietnam during the 17th and 18th centuries, located 30 km south of Danang. Today, Hoi An, rich in cultural heritage and unique in character, is considered as one of the most charming coastal towns of Vietnam.

A mixture of Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and French influences, it retains the feeling of the past centuries. Its magnificent collection of almost 850 ancient French colonial buildings, the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge and its pagoda and preserved streetscapes are just begging to be explored.

The culture & heritage that UNESCO World Heritage Site status for Hoi An Ancient Town was trying to preserve has long since gone. Since 1999, when UNESCO WHS status was awarded, there has been a massive increase in tourism – with the result that most houses have been sold by the community to speculators and shop owners to be used for commercial purposes. The former community, and with it their culture and heritage, has gone and in their place are endless indistinguishable shops, restaurants, art galleries, etc. There are literally hundreds of tailor shops in Hoi An.

The main thoroughfare in the Old Town is Tran Phu. Just south of the Old Town, across the Thu Bon River, are the islands of An Hoi to the west, reachable via Hai Ba Trung, and Cam Nam to the east, reachable via Hoang Dieu.

Hoi An is known for clothing and shoes, with more than 600 shops catering to a very limited pool of tourists. Walk some of the streets outside the old town and you will see open-fronted workshops operating all hours where the clothes are made.

Old Town: To enter most of the main attractions in the Old Town (i.e. the handful of buildings that aren’t shops) you require a ticket, which is sold at various kiosks. You certainly do not require a ticket just to walk the streets. But it can seem that way since the main entrance to the Old Town is the covered bridge, which being one of the attractions /does/ require the ticket. But there’s nothing to stop you using the nearby footway on the waterfront instead.

Piped (western, classical) music throughout the main old town streets adds to the crass Disneyland feel.