Hoi An
Picturesque Hoi An, located in the central region of Vietnam, has been a fixture on UNESCO’s World Heritage list since 1999. Although a relatively small town, Hoi An has been an important port since the Cham period in the early part of the first millennium CE and is today one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. The town is situated short drive from Danang with its international airport so can get busy during weekends and local holidays, but you can check our post, The Best Time to Visit Hoi An, on how to avoid the crowds.)
A sheltered, natural harbour and strategic location made the port a busy entrepot on trade routes between China and Japan and Southeast Asia. From there, routes continued further west to the Indian subcontinent and even the Gulf, making Hoi An a cosmopolitan, as well as flourishing, port.
2-way traffic in Hoi An’s Old Town Hoi An’s iconic, 16th-17th-century bridge, pictured below, is commonly known as the ‘Japanese Bridge’ as it connected the Vietnamese Town with the enclave of Japanese traders and merchants on the opposite bank of the river. Although dating back over 1500 years, much of what you see today dates from the 15th to 19th centuries and displays European as well as Chinese and Japanese architectural influences.
Hoi An’s iconic Japanese Bridge The picturesque town features on our Hanoi to Saigon tour as well as our World Heritage Sites of Vietnam tour both of which also take in no less than 7 out of the 8 listed UNESCO sites in Vietnam: Halong Bay, the Imperial citadel Hanoi, Hue, My Son, Trang An landscapes, Phong Na-Ke Bang National Park as well as Hoi An! (the only one not included is the 14th -century Ho Dynasty citadel which we feel is more of a historical, than casual interest.
