Our hotel, the Tropical Hoi An Resort gave us free rides to and from Ancient Town until 9:00pm. Ancient Town was about a 10- minute drive from our resort.
What is Ancient Town? (Source: Vietnamtravel.org)
It's a port in Hoi An that was very active between the 15th and the 19th centuries. It was first settled by the Champa people who were Malay-Indonesian people from Java. They settled in Hoi An in 200 BC. The Cham people had a strong Kingdom but had conflicts with the Viet people in the north, the Khmer people in Cambodia, and in the 13th century Kublai Khan invaded the Champa Kingdom. The leader of the Cham people Che Bong Nga ("The Red King") reunited his people once again. However the Viet people overpowered the Cham people in the 15th Century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An, which was called Hai Pho ("seaside town") at that time, became a very important port city in Southeast Asia. The Japanese built a settlement on one end of the town. Various merchants from different countries came to do global trade before the term even existed. They included the Chinese, Indian, and Dutch. Hoi An was an important stop along Silk Road as it exported ceramics all over even as far as Egypt.
However, during the Nguyen Dynasty, open trade was slowed down in order to stop the influence of foreigners, which hurt Vietnam for the next two centuries. In turn, this brought stagnation to Hoi An. By the time the lords changed their mind, it had already damaged Hoi An's economy permanently. The French started to rapidly influence Danang making it the most important port in Vietnam. Also, stronger trading vessels were being constructed, which required a deeper port. This officially eliminated Hoi An as an international trading port city once and for all. However, there is a positive thing to look at here. Danang became influenced by the culture, style, and wealth of Europe while Hoi An kept its mainly Vietnamese roots and kept its Asian heritage and traditions in tact.
Today, Hoi An welcomes many backpackers with bars, restaurants, and internet cafes. You can also find many craft shops, stores that cater to Vietnamese fabric, and stores that sell Vietnamese ceramics. It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999 and is not yet overrun with tourists.
The distinct conical hat in Vietnam (see two pictures below), is called the Non La, and it can be seen everywhere. It is used to prevent people from getting wet during the rain, shade themselves when it's hot and sunny, and even used as a basket to put fruit and vegetables in. The origin of this hat began from a legend and you can read about it in this article.
I loved the unique style of some of the buildings. This style was influenced by the French.
Japanese Bridge
A guy relaxing on a hot day with many motor bikes lined up down an alley
A cafe with French style exterior
Vietnamese fashion
We stopped by a local foreigner bar to see if we could get some food.
We had good but not the best Pho that I have ever had...The best Pho I had was in Ho Chi Minh City.
Banana Pancakes
Overall: It's very quiet during the day but can be a bit overwhelming at night. The tourists come to see the lanterns and take a lot of pictures of them. You'll see a lot of Chinese tourists, backpackers, and Vietnamese people from other regions. Be aware of pickpockets as you cross the Japanese Bridge since it's the most crowded area at night.
However I enjoyed Ancient Town. I enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and got some Vietnamese coffee. It's a vibrant and an enjoyable area of Hoi An!
Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.saeoulguy
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