Hoi An tourist information

Hoi An s a small town on the coast of South China Sea in central Vietnam. It is located in the Qu?ng Nam province and is home to approximately 25,000 inhabitants.

The former harbour town of the Champa people at the estuary of the Thu Bon river was an important trading centre in the 16th and 17th centuries, where Chinese from various provinces as well as Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled down. During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town), during the French occupation. Originally Hai Pho was a divided town, because across the "Japanese Bridge" used to be the Japanese settlement. The bridge is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist pagoda attached to one side. The town is known to the French and Spanish as Faifo; the name is thought to be the result of a mis-communication between a local habitant and a Spanish trader around the 17th century. The trader asked whether this was Pho and received the answer "Phai! Pho." ("Yes! Pho.").

In 1999, the old town was declared World Heritage by the UNESCO, as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, whose buildings display a unique blend of local and foreign influences.

Today, H?i An is still a small town, but it attracts a fair number of tourists, also being a well established place on the backpacker trail. Many visit for the numerous art and craft shops and tailors, who produce made-to-measure clothes for a fraction of the western price. Several internet cafés, bars and restaurants have opened along the riverfront. Some popular evening venues, especially with western visitors, are Tam Tam's restaurant and bar and the Mango restaurant.

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