Hoi An 20.03.10 - 21.03.10

Hoi An displays architecture from Chinese and Japanese influences as well as traditonal Vietnamese. It was an important sea trading town with it's position on the river beckoning ships from many ports in the South China Sea. It's low rise traditional buildings with their distinctive pan tiled roofs and curved shaped gables have been preserved to retain their original character, especially since the town was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1994. It's my favourite small town we've come across because I love the colours of the buildings and the worn paintwork and general rustic-ness, if that's a word! There's a covered Japanese bridge across one of the small streams running through the town which has its own mini temple attached, guarded by monkey statues on one side and dog statues on the other.

The place reminds me a little of Melaca in Malaysia- the buildings are similar in design and decoration, from the same era. Melaca was of course a very important trading town as well. Some of the houses are open to the public and the house of Tan Ky is still privately owned by the seventh generation family and we are welcomed with a cup of hot tea and shown round the ground floor where there are beautiful examples of Japanese style dark wood carved beams and inlaid mother of pearl furniture. The temples and religious meeting houses in the town show us a form of Chinese inspired deity which we have not come across til now, focussing on ancestor worship with shrines devoted to key members of the community and prayers written out in Chinese kanji gold lettering or strung from the ceiling to cone shaped incense coils. The gates to these buildings are traditional Chinese monoliths with several roof formations decorated on the edges with ceramic tiled dragons and Chinese guardians. Spirit shrines are still as big a deal here in Vietnam as they have been throughout South East Asia and everywhere you look people have burnt three incense sticks before a spirit shrine and placed them before it along with fruit and other offerings. The town takes on a real authentic atmosphere after sundown with the thousands of coloured lanterns strung across the streets and river bridges bathing the old buildings in soft coloured light.