| Hoi An Hội An | ||
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Coat of arms  | ||
| State | Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Federated state | Central coast of Vietnam | |
| Region | Quang Nam | |
| Altitude | 121.716 (2008 estimate) m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 60 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 121.716 (2008 estimate) | |
| Prefix tel | 84 026 | |
| Time zone | UTC 7 | |
Position
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| Tourism site | ||
Hoi An or Hội An is a city of Vietnam.
To know
Pretty Hoi An is Vietnam's most atmospheric city 30km south of Da Nang, boasts enchanting architecture, and an enviable riverside location. The old town is quiet and with little traffic, and here you can spend at least three days, in absolute relaxation. It is known by European merchants as Faifo.
In 1999 the old city was declared a World Heritage Site by theUNESCO, as a well-preserved example of a southeastern trading port between the 15th and 19th centuries, and whose buildings show a unique fusion of local tradition and foreign influence.Hội An is still a small town, but attracts many tourists who can find products of local crafts and have tailor-made clothes made, sold at a reduced price compared to Western standards. Many cybercafes, bars and restaurants have opened in the small streets of the town and along the river. Hoi An is also famous for its centuries-old Cao lầu based on noodles.
Background
The city was the largest port in Southeast Asia during the 1st century, and was known as Lâm Ấp Phố (City of the Champa) .The former port city of the Champa, located at the Thu Bon estuary, was an important center of Vietnamese trade during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when Japanese and Chinese from various provinces, Dutch and Indians settled there. In this period of trade with China, the city was called Hai Pho (City by the Sea) in Vietnamese. Hai Pho was originally a city separated from the Japanese settlement, connected by the "Japanese bridge" (16th and 17th centuries). The bridge (Chùa cầu) is a single covered structure built by the Japanese, the only covered bridge in the world with a Buddhist temple.
The city was known to the French and Spaniards as Faifo, and with a similar name to the Portuguese and Dutch. Numerous theories on the origin of the name have been proposed. Some scholars argue that it derives from the term "hải-phố" (海 浦) which means "city of the sea", while according to others it is a simple diminutive of Hội An-phố (會 安 浦), "the city of Hoi An", which became "Hoi-pho", and then "Faifo".
It was also the first city to Christianize and among the various missionaries, in the sixteenth century, Alexandre de Rhodes arrived, a Frenchman who invented the quoc ngu alphabet derived from Latin and still used in the Vietnamese written language.
How to orient yourself
Hoi An: full screen map.How to get
By plane
The nearest international airport is at Da Nang, which has connections to and from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh is Hue as well as some international flights to and from Bangkok, Singapore, Siem Reap.
Some charter flights are available to and from ChinaA taxi from Da Nang Airport to Hoi An costs about $ 22.
It is generally good practice in Vietnam to book a taxi with Mai Linh taxi company as they are the most reliable and honest of the local agencies.
On the train
There is no train connection with Hoi An and again the closest station is Da Nang. Most hotels, however, offer train ticket sales.
By bus
Buses from the central station Da Nang for Hoi an they depart approximately every half hour and cost 50,000 đồng.
How to get around
What see
Entry to all historic sites in Hoi An is managed via a coupon system, which can be purchased for 120,000 dong and is valid for five attractions: a museum, an old house, a meeting room, a craft workshop (or a traditional music show ) or traditional theater, and of course both the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Quan Cong Temple. Tickets are on sale at various entry points in the historic center, including on Hai Ba Trung Street.
Lately, citizens have increasingly complained about the all-Western custom of visiting the city in a bikini or bathing suit. Remember to respect local customs and to dress up in a city that is extremely proud of its history and culture.
- 1 Japanese bridge (Chua Cau or Lai Vien Kieu) (at the western end of Tran Phu Street). Built in 1600 by the Japanese, it is the symbol of the city and can be crossed only once with a coupon. However, you can go through it many times without ever meeting a controller. And if you are bitten by scruple, you can leave an offering to the statues of the pig and the dog guarding the bridge.
- 2 Quan Cong Temple, Tran Phu, 24. Founded in the 15th century, it is dedicated to the Chinese general Quan Cong, who in our part of Italy would be the equivalent of a saint. He was honored for his virtues of loyalty and justice.
A ticket is valid only for one among the following museums.
- 3 Hoi An History and Culture Museum, Nguyen Hue 7. Focused almost exclusively on the 20th century, the museum contains many black and white photos of the city at the beginning of the last century and during the war period.
- Ethnographic Museum, Nguyen Thai Hoc 33. At first glance, this museum may surprise you for the artifacts preserved here that seem to a Westerner to say the least bizarre but by visiting it calmly you can experience the ancient and traditional Vietnamese rural culture.
- Sa Huynh Culture Museum, 149 Bach Dang St. The museum collects some ceramic evidence of the remote past (first centuries AD) of the city but on the upper floor you will find another museum dedicated to the socialist revolution with testimonies and photos of Vietnamese heroes and patriots.
- Museum of the ceramics trade, Tran Phu 80. The dusty pieces preserved in this museum will not be that interesting but it is a good opportunity to see another ancient house in Hoi An from the inside as well as the only other that you can see with a tourist ticket.
The ticket also entitles you to a visit to one of Hoi An's "old houses", a magnificent cross between a museum and an inhabited house in the modern city.
- 4 Phung Hung, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai 4 (west of the Japanese bridge). Traditional two-storey wooden house, inhabited for more than 100 years for 8 generations, the last of which will guide you on your discovery tour of the house.
- Quan Thang, Nguyen Thai Hoc 77.
- 5 Tan Ky, Nguyen Thai Hoc 101. As before, a young family member will offer you a cup of tea and tell you about the house and the general way of life in Hoi An. The design of the house shows how the local architecture bears strong signs of Japanese and Chinese influences. Japanese elements are the shell or crab ceiling supported by three beams in the living room. Chinese poems, then, are written and hung on some of the columns that support the roof.
The ticket will also give you the right to access a meeting room. These are the places used by Chinese expatriates to meet, welcome their compatriots and as a point of reference for the local Chinese community.
- 6 Cantonese hall (Quang Dong), Tran Phu 176. Built in 1885, it has a quiet courtyard with statues. Also check out the half-hidden rear and its dragon statues.
- 7 Hokien Hall (Fujian) (Phuc Kien), Tran Phu 46. Built in 1757
- 8 Hall of the whole Chinese community (Trieu Chau), Nguyen Duy Hieu 157.
Finally, you can choose one of these craft workshops to complete the attractions available in a ticket:
- Hoi An laboratory, 9 Bach Dang St.
10:00-15:00. In this workshop, mostly Vietnamese music and dance performances are staged. - 9 Hoi An Silk Village, Nguyen Tat Thanh 28, ☎ 84 510 3921144.
19 US $. 09:00-21:00. Relive 300 years of Champa silk production. It is possible to take part in half-day excursions that will guide you through the whole process of silk production. At the end you will find traditional tailors ready to make you tailor-made clothes with a personalized design. - 10 Vietnamese theater, Nguyen Thai Hoc 75.
10:00-15:00. In this workshop, mostly Vietnamese music and dance performances are staged.
19 US $. Events and parties
What to do
- Diving on Cham Island.
- Hội An Eco Tour. It is a unique tourist and cultural attraction. You can learn to fish, row with a local fisherman in coconut palm paradise. Rather than focusing on Vietnam's historical artifacts, the eco tour focuses on historical culture in an interactive way and allows you to live with the people of Hoi An
- Hội An Food Tour. US $ 45. 15:30-20:00. Tour to discover the best traditional dishes of Hoi An, all strictly on the street, together with the locals.
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
The food in Hoi An is also by Vietnamese high standards, cheap and tasty. In addition to the usual, there are three dishes that Hoi An is particularly famous for:
- Cao lau, a plate of rice noodles close in the structure to the pasta. The authentic Cao Lau only uses water from a special well in the city. The noodles are topped with slices of pork roast, and this being Vietnam, lots of herbs and vegetables.
- White rose (Banh Bao Vac), a type of cannelloni made from translucent white dough, filled with prawns.
- Wonton dumplings, essentially the same as the Chinese type, served in soup or deep-fried.
Where stay
| The new Hoi An |
The atmosphere of the historic center was not kept so quiet by accident: Regulations, sometimes very strict, prohibit new construction within its borders and as a result, a building boom has occurred just outside the old city limits. On foot, a few blocks from that old world, you can suddenly find yourself in a modern, lively and ... noisy city. Many hotels have sprung up in this new neighborhood, which is completely devoid of the historic and almost magical charm that brings visitors to Hoi An. The hotels here are much cheaper than downtown hotels and easier to bargain even by mail, but the reason they are so cheap is that they miss out on the unique charm of downtown Hoi An and however much they try to advertise themselves, they are in an area far less peaceful and pleasant than the traditional Hoi An, a destination for European travelers since the Middle Ages. |
Hotels in Hoi An are fiercely competitive with each other, which means for you to have extreme freedom of choice at generally high standards. Economically the hotels here are more expensive than in many other parts of Vietnam but the city really deserves them. Many hotels are concentrated in Hai Ba Trung street (formerly Nhi Trung street), just north of the historic center and easily reachable on foot; others are located along Cua Dai, to the east and require a few more steps if you want to walk to the center. from Da Nang to Hoi An.
- Viet house homestay, 22 Tran cao van, ☎ 8405103386205, @[email protected]. 15-20 $. New hotel, open for six months, so clean. The staff are friendly and welcoming.
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Half day excursions
- Cham Islands - inside the Cu Lao Cham Nature Reserve, UNESCO protected biosphere.
- Dong Duong - ancient Buddhist village, the only example of a 9th century temple. today in ruins.
- Lang Co - fishing village between rivers, mountains and lagoons with a 32 km beach.
Nearby cities
- Da Nang - main port of the region
- Hue - ancient capital of the empire, a few hours by train from Hoi An
- Hanoi - capital of Vietnam
