Hoi An and My Son

Places of Interest - Vietnam

HOME (English) / Vietnam / Vietnam sights

introduction

Hội An is a coastal city in central Vietnam on the South China Sea and a major tourist attraction. This former port city of the Champa Kingdom was an important trading center in the 16th and 17th centuries for both Asians and Europeans. Portuguese, Dutch, English and French people have traded here, among other things. But it was the Chinese and to a lesser extent the Japanese who made their mark on the city.

Originally, Hai Pho was separated into two city sections; on the other side of the Japanese Bridge was a Japanese settlement. In 1999, the ancient city of Hoi An was included on the World Heritage List of UNESCO, as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading city from the 15th to 19th century, with buildings that show a unique mixture of local and foreign influences. Numerous tourists come here to enjoy the car-free streets, the romantic harbor, the old (Colonial) buildings and the large selection of souvenirs and clothingshops.

The disadvantage of this is that it occasionally becomes as busy as if it looks like you are walking around in a large international supermarket. In addition to seeing the old city, Hoi An is known for a place to learn how to cook Vietnamese. At 35 kilometers away is the ruin city My Son. Here you can see the best preserved Champa ruins in Vietnam, which is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Almost every tour company in the center of Hoi An offers a tour.

highlights

The old center:

The city center of Hoi An has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999 and that has its advantages. Firstly, the old streets are car-free and there are restrictions on the buildings in the city in terms of height, color and material. The result is a very authentic city that reminds you of the old days besides the main drag of (international) tourists.

Of the 800 buildings that fall under the old city, 15 are open to the public. You need different tickets to see everything but each ticket gives you the possibility to see something of the characteristic things in the city. There are old (Colonial) houses, pagodas and temples, especially Chinese so-called meeting houses and museums. One of the nicest meeting rooms is the Fujian and for the houses you can best visit the Tan Ky house to get an idea. Especially the houses around the old harbor are very well preserved.

Other things you can see in the center is for example the old small but very photogenic Japanese bridge (Chua Cau) that connected the Japanese branch to the Chinese. Old weathered statues on both sides (monkeys and dogs) provided protection and the thick poles against the danger of collapse in an earthquake. Finally, there is the source where the secret recipe of Cao Lau is made, a specialty of the city.

My Son:

The archaeological city My Son became an important religious center during the time of King Bhadravarman in the 4th century in the Champa Kingdom. Until the 13th century people would live and work here and it would grow to be the most important religious and intellectual place; it could also be that the place gave shelter to the final resting place of Cham monarchs.

Many temples were built in honor of Shiva the Hindu god who would be the founder and protector of the Champa dynasty. Once a number of buildings in the city would be covered with a thick layer of gold, but over the centuries the ruins have been drained by the Vietnamese, Chinese and Khmer people. Because the Champa people did not have enough land to grow rice, they would start piracy which brought them into direct conflict with the Northern Vietnamese and the Southern Khmer's - this battle would be lost over the centuries although there are still descendants of the Cham's in the coastal province in Vietnam.

The remaining ruins (there were once 68 buildings, now 20) would have to endure heavily in the American war. The VC uses My Son as a shelter and the Americans would bomb the site more than once. Yet My Son remains the most important place in Vietnam to admire the Cham dynasty. Not in the last place because it is located in a beautiful green area with mountains, forest and a river. The ruins are divided into 10 groups (from A to K) and are spread over a site of approximately 200m2.

You can see different temples, a store for holy books and things for ceremonies, a basin, an old gate and a meditation hall. Especially group A (which according to old local people was most admirable) was completely destroyed by American aerial bombardments. The part that they could not get hold of was attacked by a group of helicopters.

Hoi-An-Harbour-Palmtree-River-Boat-Vietnam

history

Even though the region and the city we now call Hoi An had been inhabited for a long time, between the 2nd and 10th centuries it was a busy and important port in the Champ Kingdom, stretching along the entire south coast. Only in the 14th century this rest and commercial period was interrupted by a war between the Vietnamese and Champa's.

Then the trade was picked up again and Hoi An flourished as never before. Traders and sellers from all over the world came to the city to make money. The number of Japanese and Chinese surpassed the others as it was easy to get to them in the port city. If the tide was good, the wind brought them here and a few months later their sails bobbled back and carried back to their motherland.

At the time they were in Hoi An they rented the big department stores in the port for storage and to live and work. In 1607 the Japanese Emperor forbade international action and they left; the Chinese remained and would later make the first Chinese branch in South Vietnam. Hoi An or as the Europeans called it "Faifoo" brought Christianity alongside all trade. First it was the Portuguese who landed here, followed by the Dutch, English and French.

In the 18th century the city would be completely destroyed by the Tay Son Rebellion to be completely renovated later in the same style. The trade of the port city would only collapse when the vein of the city, the river silted up and the commerce disappeared to the nearby Danang. During the French period, Hoi An would act as an administrative center. Good agreements between the Vietcong, NVA (North Vietnamese), ARVN (South Vietnamese) and the Americans ensured that the Colonial city as a whole remained free of damage during the Vietnam War. One of the reasons why the city is now a very important tourist center of Vietnam that attracts many admirers.

Hoi-An-Shopping-Street-streetlife-Vietnam

tips & advice (2002)

The important and largest bus station in Hoi An is located about a kilometer to the west of the center. If you want to go to Danang you better go to the Northern (smaller) bus station which is about 2 km north of the center.

Hoi An - Na Thrang (2002): you can best take a night bus ("sleeper" or soft chair) because the ride takes 11 to 12 hours and leaves from the main bus station. Tickets can be bought anywhere in the center.

Around the harbor there are very nice, beautiful and super romantic places for something to eat and/or drink. You can

choose a restaurant with a large balcony and later sit on the harborside. It can not really be better. Snake wine will be offered.