Hoi An - Vietnam's ancient Chinese Town!

Four hours South of Hue and over the 496 metre high Hai Van Pass which crowns Vietnam's natural barrier between North and South brings you down onto the coast plain and the ancient city of Hoi An.

If you're travelling south, it is possible to leave the bus in Vietnam's major port city of Da Nang* where you can visit the famous Cham Museum which houses 300 sculptures from the Cham Empire dating from the 7th to 15th Centuries.

* In January 2005, Silk Air announced the introduction of thrice-weekly direct flights from Singapore to Da Nang. The return flight is via Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

However, most travelers continue through Da Nang and on to Hoi An, from where the Cham Museum can be visited as a day trip".

Hoi An was a major trading city established by Chinese and Japanese merchants in the 16th century until the Song Hoi An River silted up and the city virtually died as a port. However, the Ancient Town still exists, protected today as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is one of the most pleasant and relaxed cities in Vietnam in which to spend a few days. Mass tourism has hit the town but rather than spoil the atmosphere, it has simply improved services for tourists whilst maintaining it's quaint, old world charm. Several days a week, the town is barred to motor vehicles in order to maintain the peaceful charm of it's streets which are lined with ancient merchants' houses, pagodas and a plethora of shopping opportunities!

Hoi An is famous for it's Chinese lanterns and at night the ancient town takes on a fairytale feel with pretty, coloured lanterns and candles casting their glow on the ancient facades of the buildings. Once every 28 days, at full moon, the city celebrates with a special evening of illuminations and, if you plan to be in Hoi An at that time, it advisable to make hotel reservations well in advance in order to enjoy this very romantic atmosphere.

Hoi An is renowned for it's many tailoring shops where you can have all manner of clothes made quickly and inexpensively, from traditional Vietnamese garments to modern suits, dresses and casual traveling clothes. Shopping opportunities also include shoes, bags, artwork reflecting the atmosphere of the town and, of course, Chinese lanterns which are everywhere as well as the usual tourist souvenirs such as T-shirts, Vietnamese cone hats and silver jewellery.

Five kilometres East of Hoi An and easily reached by motorcycle or bicycle (or by foot for the more energetic) past emerald green rice fields is the excellent Cua Dai Beach. Not quite the pristine white sand beach you've visited in South Thailand, the beach nevertheless does have a long, wide, clean stretch of yellow sand, plenty of room to spread out and no crowds. It can be a little windy. The only downside to the beach is the persistency of some of the beach vendors which can be tiresome. If you don't intend to buy, say so firmly but politely and then don't change your mind. If you do want to buy something, remember to bargain hard. It is worth remembering that many people in Vietnam earn less than 100,000 Dong per month for full time work so, if you pay 30,000 Dong for a cheap necklace on the beach, you might just be paying over the odds and fueling unrealistic expectations in the vendors.

There are some excellent restaurants in Hoi An where you can try local specialties such as “White Rose” a prawn and noodle dish and fresh (uncooked) Hoi An spring rolls, as well as all the usual Western dishes. There are numerous stylish bars to while away the evening with friends, as well as fresh beer bars which serve cold beer(bia hoi) by the glass for as little as 3,000 Dong in a less sophisticated but more traditional environment. Arikah recommends the "Hoai River Restaurant" at 44 Nguyen Street. Run by the delightful Tran family, the food is excellent, inexpensive and served with the biggest Vietnamese smiles you will find anywhere. The restaurant specialises in the local seafood and Mr Tran also runs cooking classes for those who would like to take some of his secrets home with them!

The most popular day trip from Hoi An is a visit to the Cham ruins at My Son (admission 50,000D, open 6.30am-4.30pm daily), also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The holy Champa city, was built in the fourth century. The Champa kingdom flourished in the area around Da Nang from the 2nd to the 15th centuries, making it pre-date that of the Kingdom of Angkor. It was an important Cham intellectural and religious centre and also served as a burial place for Cham monarchs. The monuments are set in a verdant valley shadowed by Cat's Tooth Mountain. My Son is considered to be a smaller counterpart to the grand cities of Asia's other Hindu-influenced civilizations such as Angkor Wat (Cambodia), Bagan (Myanmar), Ayutthaya (Thailand) and Borobudur (Java, Indonesia). Tours include a visit to a pottery village and a wood carving village but these are unremarkable.

The village of My Lai, scene of the infamous massacre during the American war, is 120 kms from Hoi An and many agencies advertise day visits there. In reality, they rarely take a group there and the only way to reach it is independently by taxi or motorcycle.

Another side trip advertised by the agencies is a trip to Marble Mountain which is only 20 km from Hoi An but is not worth a special visit. Most of the open tour buses stop there briefly where you can see the marble carvers at work and buy cheap souvenirs. If you go on a separate visit there, you will have more time to explore the interior of the mountain and see a number of grottos formed by the extraction of the marble. The five peaks symbolize wood, water, fire, earch and metal.

Whatever your tastes, there is something for everyone in this quickly growing tourist jewel in Central Vietnam - visit Hoi An.

Further References:

• The Official Hoi An Centre for Culture website

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