History of Hoi An

Situated on the Thu Bon Estuary south of Danang, Hoi An first came to prominence as an international port in the late sixteenth century and reached its apex in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. At that time Hoi An had trade links with China, Japan, Siam, the Malay Peninsula, Luzon, and even European countries such as England, France, Holland, and Portugal. According to Professor Pan Dai Doan, one of many experts included in Ancient Town of Hoi An, the town grew prosperous exporting silk, sugar, gold, cinnamon, sandalwood, pepper, areca nut, ceramics, timber, tortoise shell, rhino horn, and, of all things, sea swallows' nests.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture declared Hoi An an historic site in 1985, and rightly so'the town's ancient quarter offers a wealth of historic streets, alleys, homes, halls, graves, and temples. In its heyday Hoi An hosted a large foreign community, including Japanese and Chinese merchants, Dutch representatives of the Dutch East Indies Company, and Portuguese Jesuits. This fertile cross-cultural mix produced an architecture unique to Hoi An'known simply as "Hoi An Style"'that represents a blend of many different architectural traditions. Of all historic structures in Hoi An, the Japanese bridge remains the most famous. Called Lai Vien Kieu in Vietnamese, this red covered bridge has its own temple and guardian statues.


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