Not far away from Danang (30km), Hoi An was an important port developed in 17th century and remained so for a long time. There used to be canals parallel to the streets, so merchandise could be loaded straight from the back of houses onto the boats. Hoi An’s continuance as a port lasted right up until the early years of the 20 century, when the river became silted up forcing the cargo ships to call at Da Nang instead.

Many of the old merchant houses are lived in by the locals, but fortunately are beautifully preserved. They ca be typically described as having a narrow and lofty interior with a barrel vault ceiling. The street entrance has a shop front where the merchant used to display his goods. This is still used for his purpose n modern Hoi An with its numerous galleries and antique shops.

This bridge was built in 1953 by the Japanese, although this may be hard to pick by its name! Its base is made of stone, and the rest of ironwood, jackwood and other hardwoods. The bridge’s purity has been ruined over time with Chinese and Vietnamese ornamentation. There is a pagoda built into one side of the bridge, which is normally closed to foreigners unless you specifically request it opened.

This is a Chinese Community Hall, but has other uses as a temple, shrine, place of ancestor worship, and a venue for conferences. The Chinese maintain practicality in their worship but since most things in life ca not be guaranteed, superstition also plays a large part in their religious beliefs. The rear contains an altar dedicated to the three gods of health, wealth, and longevity.

This beach is the closest to Hoi An, is very beautiful and is well worth a visit to cool off when the heats starts to get to you. The only eyesore are the bizarre changing huts and bungalows. It is an incredibly long beach with loads of room to wander off for a bit of personal space, which is so difficult to find in Vietnam.

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