HOI AN, VIETNAM

Located in central Vietnam, Hoi An is an ancient riverside town filled with bars and restaurants. Merchant houses line the river and lanterns are decorated in the town while beaches are located a few kilometers away. Interestingly, the main mode of transport to travel around on land is by bicycle while colourful wooden boats are available for people travelling across the river. The town is also known for its diverse and delicious food, which are a mixture of Japanese, Chinese and Portuguese cuisines.

The ancient town of Hoi An is filled with many heritage buildings and sites such as the Japanese-covered bridge, wooden shop houses, French-colonial houses, Chinese temples and pagodas. The town was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it reflects a fusion of indigenous and foreign cultures, principally Chinese and Japanese with later European influences.

At the Old Town in Hoi An, there are more than 800 preserved historic buildings and 18 buildings are opened for visitors. Visitors are required to purchase a ticket for entering the town and the money goes to the funding for conservation works. Visitors are able to visit five different heritage attractions such as assembly halls, museums, ancient houses and even a traditional music show.

Hoi An is famous for its food stalls lined along the Thu Bồn river. The riverfront is lined with bars selling bia hơi, a type of popular draught beer in Vietnam. Famous cuisines found at Hoi An includes the cau lao, a regional Vietnamese noodle dish filled with pork broth and vegetables, Banh bao vac, white rose dumpling and bún đậu mắm tôm, a platter filled with sticky rice noodles, pork, fried tofu, vegetables, herbs and fermented shrimp dipping sauce.

One of the most famous beaches in Hoi An is Cua Dai and it’s located just five kilometers away from the ancient town. The beach is well-known for its beautiful scenery and breathtaking sunset.

An interesting emblem of Hoi An would be the Japanese-covered bridge, it was built in the 1590s by the Japanese community to link it to the Chinese quarters. The bridge is made of original Japanese design and is very solid. A pair of monkey statues is seen on one side of the bridge while a pair of dog statues is found on the other side.