Hoi An Ancient Town
Hoi An Ancient Town is 30km south of Danang. It lies on the
banks of the Thu Bon River. Occupied by early western traders, Hoi An was one
of the important trading centers of Southeast Asia in the 16th century.
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Bridge pagoda or Japanese bridge-Hoi An' symbol |
Not the same as Hanoi Old-quarter, Hoi An has a district Chinese atmosphere with low,
tile-roofed houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these
streets remains almost intact. All the houses were made of rare wood, decorated
with lacquered boards and panels inscribed with Chinese characters. Pillars were
also carved with ornamental designs.
Hoi An has long been a cultrural intersection. More than five
centuries ago, the Vietnamese nation of Dai Viet expanded its territory
southwards, intrude on the Indianized Kingdom of Champa, which covered much
of what is now central Vietnam.
Special culture in architecture
Hoi An, located on the Hoai River, emerged when Chinese and Japanese traders built a commercial district there in the 16th century.
These diverse cultural influences remain visible today so visitors will find Hoi An’s Old Quarter lined with two-storey Chinese shops. Their elaborately carved wooden fronts and moss-covered tile roofs having
withstood the ravages of more than 300 years of both weather and warfare. These
proud old buildings, which back onto the river, remind visitors of another
era, when Hoi An’s market was filled with wares from India
and Europe. Colourful guildhalls, founded by ethnic Chinese from Fujian and Guangdong provinces, stand quietly, a testament to the town’s trading roots.
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A corner of Hoi An Ancient Town |
While Hoi An’s Old-fashioned charm is always seen, on the
14th of every lunar month modernity takes another step back. In the
evenings, the town turns off its street fluorescent lights and lamps, leaving
the Old Quarter bathed in the warm light of coloured silk, glass and paper
lanterns. In time before, Vietnamese people made lamps out of shallow bowls
filled with oil. Then, foreign traders introduced lanterns, ranging from China
to diamond and star shaped ones from Japan.
When developing plans to preserve their town’s ancient
character, Hoi An people decided to revive the practice of using coloured
lanterns. Starting in the autumn of 1998, one night each month is declared a
“lantern festival”.
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The women are drop lights posted on the Thu Bon River |
On the 14th day of each lunar month, residents
on Nguyen Thai Hoc, Tran Phu, Le Loi and Bach Dang streets switch off their
lights and hang cloth and paper lanterns on their porches and windows. Radios,television sets, streetlights and neon lights are turned off.