Hoi An

The ancient city of Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to one of Asia's oldest trading ports. Hoi An, which has been a significant trading port since the 15th century, has retained much of its ancient architecture, including timber-framed houses, colorful French-colonial shutters, and Chinese tiled roofs. In small alleyways throughout Ancient Town, Hoi An's historical center, religious buildings, courtyards, and shophouses sit side by side.


The Lantern Festival, which honors ancestors via light, takes place every full moon cycle in Hoi An. All of the lights in the Ancient Town are turned off the night before the full moon, and colorful lanterns and candles are placed on windows, inside buildings, and on boats drifting along the river.

The Museum of History and Culture (formerly a pagoda devoted to the Goddess of Compassion, Guan Yin), the 17th-century covered Japanese bridge, and the Old Mansion of Tan Ky, a preserved 18th-century merchant's house, are also worth seeing at other times of the month.