Hoi An Ancient Town is an ancient urban area located downstream of Thu Bon River, in the coastal plain of Quang Nam province, Vietnam, about 30 km south of Da Nang city. Thanks to favorable geographical and climatic factors, Hoi An was once a busy international trading port, a meeting place for Japanese, Chinese and Western merchant ships during the 17th and 18th centuries. Before this period, this place also had traces of the Champa trading port, often mentioned along with the maritime Silk Road. In the 19th century, because waterway transportation here was no longer convenient, Hoi An port gradually declined, giving way to Da Nang, which was then being built by the French. Hoi An was fortunate not to be destroyed in two wars and avoided the massive urbanization process at the end of the 20th century. Starting from the 1980s, the architectural and cultural values of Hoi An ancient town were gradually restored. Scholars and tourists alike have paid attention, making this place one of Vietnam’s attractive tourist destinations.
The ancient town of Hoi An today is a special example of a traditional port town in Southeast Asia that has been preserved intact and thoughtfully. Most of the houses here are traditional architecture dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, distributed along narrow streets. Located among the townhouses, religious and belief architectural works demonstrate the process of formation, development and even decline of the city. Hoi An is also a land marked by cultural mixing and interference. Assembly halls and temples bearing traces of the Chinese people are located next to traditional Vietnamese townhouses and houses with French architectural style. Besides cultural values through architectural works, Hoi An also preserves a rich and diverse intangible culture. The daily life of old town residents with customs, religious activities, folk arts, and cultural festivals is still being preserved and developed. Hoi An is considered a living museum of architecture and urban lifestyle.
