Hoi An, Haisfo, Haiso, Cotam, Faifo or the town commercial port is located in the lower section of the Thu Bon river, 30 km southeast of Danang city. The town borders the Eastern Sea at Cua Dai Estuary in the east.

Some centuries ago, Hoi An traded with Danang through the Co Co river. The Thu Bon river connected the ancient town of Hoi An with the old capital of Tra Kieu and the sanctuary of My Son in the upper section of the river.

Hoi An Commercial Port came in to existence in the 15th - 16th centuries and became busy in the 17th-18th centuries. Before the 2nd century, Hoi An had been an integral part of the Pre-Sa Huynh culture and Sa Huynh culture itself. It also served as an important trading port of the Champa Kingdom (2nd - 15th centuries). Relics found nearby prove that Hoi An has a much longer history than what it does as a port city.

In the 17th century, Hoi An was the largest trading center of the South and of the Great Viet (former name of Vietnam nowadays), and one of the busiest commercial ports in Southeast Asia. The center of this commercial port in the quays and trading town lying on the North bank of the Thu Bon River, which nowadays is the center part of Hoi An including Minh An, Son Phong cand Cam Pho wards. As time passed, the port included anchorage on the banks of the THu Bon River such as Tra Nhieu, Trung Phuong, Tra QUe swamps…Suburban craft villages such as Kim Bong carpentry village, Thanh Ha pottery village, and the Han River Port in the North can be considered satellite localities of Hoi An. At the upper section of Thu Bon river was Thanh Chiem bastion of Quang Nam Province where foreign trading ships had to register and accomplish customs procedures before they entered Hoi An to run business. Goods from here were distributed to many countries and all over Vietnam. vietnam travel

Hoi An was the gateway of Cochichina to trade with international merchants. Ships from Japan, China and countries in South and Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India…and some European countries such as Portugal, Spain, Holland, Italy, England, France…anchored in Hoi An to participate in local fairs for 4 to 6 successive months every year. Lots of foreign citizens, especially the Chinese and the Japanese, were allowed by Nguyen Lords to settle down; build streets, open shops, run business and preserve their own customs and habits.In the 17th century, Japanese town, Chinese town, Dutch trading port were built in Hoi An making the ancient town a large economic and cultural exchange center.

By the 19th century, the river of Thu Bon silted up, Hoi An could no longer hold its function. Economic activities gradually decreased. In the end of the 19th century, the role was taken over by Da Nang. But this was a vital reason for Hoi An to be preserved as what it had been. Wondering around the old streets, you could still see the hlf-shop houses, worshiping houses, temples and pagodas, Chinese congregational halls, Chinese and Japanese tombs and the Japanese Bridge. But overall is probably the unique atmosphere of a nice little ancient town on the bank of the river that will hold your mind.

For all the values, on 2nd December 1999, the UNESCO officially listed Hoi An as a Cultural Heritage site.

Couple of things not to miss:

Every 14th (lunar calendar) people living in the old streets of Hoi An have a custom of turning off electric lights and there on the traditional lamps. Out on the street you can easily find the local selling paper lotus flower which has a burning candle inside. The local and tourists will the flow these sparkling flowers into the river. So if you can, adjust your schedule to be at this time. Remember that it’s every 14th of lunar calendar, not the western one.

Cua Dai beach: Lying some 4km from Hoi An, this long sandy beach with coconut trees is something not to miss during your stay here. The water is fine, and at twilight the local fish men are around the beach selling their fresh seafood. Each of these little “shop” will light up an oil lamps, making the beach sparkling.

Com ga (Chicken with Rice): This is a lovely local food served popularly in town. Yao me…!!!