Hoi An

The ancient town of Hoi An today is a special example of a traditional port in Southeast Asia that is preserved intact and thoughtful.

Hoi An Urban - World Cultural Heritage

1. Geographical location

Hoi An is an ancient Vietnamese town, located in the lower section of the Thu Bon River junction in the coastal plain of Quang Nam province, about 30km south of Da Nang city. Hoi An was known in the international market with many different names such as Lam Ap, Faifo, Hoai Pho and Hoi An.

2. History

Thanks to favorable geographical and climatic factors, Hoi An was once a busy international trading port , meeting place for merchant ships in Japan, China and the West during the 17th and 18th centuries. This place used to have traces of the trade port of Cham Pa or was mentioned along the Silk Road. In the 19th century, because waterway transportation here was no longer convenient, Hoi An port was gradually degraded, giving way to Da Nang which was being built by the French. Hoi An was fortunate not to be devastated in two wars and avoided the massive urbanization process in the late 20th century. Starting from the 1980s, the architectural and cultural values ​​of Hoi An ancient town gradually scholars and visitors alike, making this place one of Vietnam's attractive tourist destinations.

3. Cultural value

As the only traditional Southeast Asian port in Vietnam, rare in the world, Hoi An retains almost intact than a thousand architectural monuments such as streets, houses, clubs, temples and pagodas. , shrines, ethnic churches, ancient wells, ancient tombs . The architecture has both traditional Vietnamese nuances of art and expresses cultural exchanges with Eastern and Western countries. Over the centuries, the traditional customs, rituals, cultural and religious activities as well as traditional dishes are preserved and preserved together with generations of the old town people. Hoi An also has a peaceful, peaceful natural environment with small villages with beautiful suburbs, handicrafts such as carpentry, bronze making, pottery .

Researchers believe that ancient architecture in Hoi An has been remodeled since the beginning of the 19th century, although the starting year may be much older. Ancient architecture is most evident in the old town. Located in the area of ​​Minh An ward, the Old Quarter has an area of ​​about 2km², concentrating most of the famous monuments in Hoi An. Streets in the old town are short and narrow, with curving and running along the board style. The topography of the old town is gradually tilted from north to south. The buildings in the old town are mostly built with traditional materials: brick, wood and no more than two floors . You can easily spot the time not only in the architectural style of each building but everywhere: on the roofs of yin and yang tiles covering mosses and plants; old, moldy gray walls; sculptures of a strange animal or an ancient story . This place must have attracted talented artists of carpentry, masonry, ceramics of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and people Cham . so every work left today also imprints a quite diverse and rich culture of many ethnic groups.

For centuries, Hoi An was once a meeting place for many different cultures in the world. Besides the indigenous customs and habits of the Vietnamese people, there are also the customs of the foreign resident community to settle down like the worship of stone; worshiping Ong Ong of Central coastal residents; worshiping natural phenomena such as rain, wind, thunder, lightning or sacred objects (old trees), .

The Chinese community in Hoi An has worshiped patron gods like Thien Hau, Quan Cong, Bao Sinh Dai De and Quan Am Bodhisattva. They regularly organize other festivals or cultural activities in the spirit days such as the Nguyen Tieu Tet (16/1 lunar calendar), Thanh Minh (March of the lunar calendar), Doan Ngo (5/5 sounds) calendar), Trung Thu (August 15), Trung Cuu (9/9 lunar calendar), Ha Nguyen (15/10 lunar calendar).

These diverse social and cultural factors create a unique character for the community in Hoi An.

Hoi An who is rich in cultural traditions soon communicated with the outside world, did not know how to form a unique cultural identity and was preserved and preserved for generations until today . The life of the people here is inwardly introspective, with a subtle expression. With them Hoi An urban is like a big old house in which they are living a large family crowded with descendants who are gentle and hospitable citizens; friendly, friendly family owners; gentle, skillful, kind-hearted women; The polite, obedient children . create a harmonious community of people living idyllic , peaceful together for generations and so on.

The richness and diversity of the souls rich in cultural identity of Hoi An people are also manifested in traditional dishes such as high floor, wonton, nest cake, little prickly cake . ever since handed down so that the guests of the four directions still have chance to enjoy. Life has changed over the years but Hoi An people have not lost their familiar songs, cultural festivals have existed since the past, all ancient capital here is respected . A The festival is held monthly on the 14th day of the lunar month and this is also an opportunity for tourists everywhere to live in the atmosphere of the traditional identity of Hoi An.

At the 23rd session from November 29 to December 4, 1999 in Marrakesh (Morocco), the United Nations Culture - Science - Education Organization (UNESCO) named Hoi An in the list of Cultural Heritage Worldization.