The ancient town is actually a complex of various buildings, including pagodas, Vietnamese wooden shop-houses, Japanese bridges, Chinese temples, French-colonial houses.

Tranquil, beautiful, and cozy are how people say about Hoi An – one of the best ancient towns in Vietnam. Coming to Hoi An, you will never forget the butterflies in your head when standing beside Hoi An riverside at night when lanterns are lit up.

Also known as “Hai Pho” (means Seaside Town), Hoi An was founded by a Nguyen lord in 1595 and grew into the most significant trading port in the South China Sea.

Hon An can be considered as a living museum of Vietnamese old-town architecture, being a major Southeast Asian post in the 16^th and 17^th centuries once long ago. The unique town has been successfully restored and preserved its charm, which attracts tourists from all over the world, not to mention being declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1999.

With ships coming from many countries such as America, Britain, Holland, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, Hoi An was a vital link in the trade routes between Japan and India, China and Europe. Foreign colonies sprung up as traders left behind representatives for other rich lands, which includes a Japanese settlement separated from the rest of the town by the covered bridge.

Hoi An Town