Why We Fall In Love With Hoi An
Hoi An has been always a famous destination for everyone who
visits Vietnam. Its narrow streets, wooden antique houses and shops, tiled roof
covered with moss are not the only glamour. This is one of the first city in
Vietnam restricts motorbike and other vehicles from going into the town, and
the only place that takes care of its image by forcing every shop owners to
dangle lanterns from their facades. While making a Hoi An hotel booking, make sure you chose a
hotel in the city central, then you are just one step to heaven!
We don’t need 13 seasons why we love the charming Hoi An. Only the
following 5 things are enough to make us fall for this UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
Hoi An Ancient Town and its glory history
Hoi An was a harbor city, known as FaiFo by Japanese, Chinese,
Spanish, Italian traders during the 16th – 17th Centuries. If we go
back a little more, to the 2nd – 15th Centuries, Hoi An
was also the homeland of Sa Huynh culture.
Back then, Hoi An was a prosperous city, a trading center of
Southeast Asia. Cargo ships from Japan, China, Philippines, Indonesia,
Malaysia, India, and even European countries like Spain, Portugal, Holland, UK
and France came here and traders stayed from 4 to 6 months in a row. A lot of
Chinese and Japanese people, under the permission of Nguyen Emperor, were
allowed to stay and build their own town, their own shops and live with their
own traditions.
Hoi An was a forgotten city during the Vietnam war, which helps
preserving this town from bombing and tanks. Now this ancient trading city
still remains its harbor, old streets, antique houses, Assembly Halls, Temples
and Pagodas, Japanese Covered Bridge etc., which reflect the cross-cultural
communication between Vietnamese and foreigners.
Architecture
Stepping into the Ancient Town is just like stepping back in time.
Only in Hoi An, visitors can admire the Vietnamese style, Northern and Southern
Chinese style, mixing with Japanese style. However, instead of mixing these
styles together in one building, each house here was built with only one style,
which shows our “integration without assimilation” spirit. If you made a Hoi An hotel booking, take a close look at the
hotel’s architecture, as most of hotels in the Ancient Town is built with
boutique-style.
Food and Drinks
“You have to taste a culture to understand it”, said Deborah
Cater. Indeed, the festival of flavors in every dish of Hoi An reflects this
city’s diverse culture and tradition. During its long history with Chinese, Hoi
An cuisine now is a combination of Chinese spirit and Vietnamese style. Walking
into the Old Town of Hoi An, tourists can try this city’s traditional food
everywhere, from street kitchens to luxury restaurants.
Beaches
Hoi An is also famous with its charming beaches. In fact, An Bang
Beach is in top 25 most beautiful beaches in the world selected by CNNGo, and
now is in top 25 beaches in Asia. Best time for beaches here is from May to
September. On a quiet day, visitors can lie on the golden sandy beach, listen
to the sound of ocean and the breeze whispering in the trees. Then, all the
sadness and tiredness will be gone with the wind.
Finding peace in Hoi An is so simple. After washing your hair,
don’t use hair drier, cycle around and let the wind blow away. Hoi An has been
always this beautiful in a romantic way. If you have been to Hoi An before, you
must be planning for a next trip back here, to explore its mysterious charm.
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