Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An Ancient Town is a special example of a traditional trading port in Southeast Asia which has been completely and assiduously preserved: it is the only town inVietnamthat has survived intact in this way. Most of the buildings are in the traditional architectural style of the 19th and 20th centuries. They are aligned along narrow lanes of traditional type, including many religious buildings such as pagodas, temples, meeting houses, etc., which relate to the development of a port community. The traditional lifestyles, religion, customs and cooking have been preserved and many festivals still take place annually.

The architecture of Hoi An, which is almost entirely of wood, is of considerable interest. It combines traditional Vietnamese designs and techniques with those from other countries, above allChinaandJapan, whose citizens settled there to trade and built houses and community centers to their own designs.