Why Is Hoi An Old Town So Beautiful?

It is a historic area that took shape in the 1500s, and it preserves the traces of the past intact. It sits about 30 to 40 minutes by car from the Nam Hoi An Resort in Da Nang, so it is easy to reach.

The main reason this street looks beautiful is its architectural character. Most buildings are single-story and use sloped roofs, so the area of visible sky is very wide. Because car traffic is restricted, pedestrians are given ample width, which creates a comfortable shopping environment.

The beauty of the street can be said to come from the unity of its materials. Hoi An paints its exterior walls yellow, which gives the whole street a sense of unity. Instead of streetlights, handmade lanterns hung in front of each shop light the street and create a special, beautiful atmosphere.

Hoi An Old Town differs from shopping streets in other countries. Where modern shops clearly separate interior and exterior with walls, this area has an open structure in which the street and the inside of the shops are both open. This structure gives the feeling that spaces blend into one another, which adds greater vitality to the street.

Hoi An Old Town is better visited at night. When the sun sets and the lights come on, the interiors of the shops become easier to see, and the pretty lanterns light the street for a far more lively atmosphere. The night market culture distinctive to Southeast Asia combined with a cool, comfortable walking environment adds to the appeal of a nighttime visit.

The buildings of Hoi An Old Town use a wall-bearing structure similar to New Bury Street, and the old buildings are all painted yellow. Like Yeonmu-jang-gil in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, it has many people, but it offers a far more comfortable walking environment. This lets visitors stroll the street at their leisure and enjoy its commercial culture.

Unlike big cities such as Bangkok, Hoi An offers low prices without the bustle of a metropolis. At night, lanterns float on the river to create a beautiful view, and the river, which is not large, is put to efficient use to offer plenty to see. Together these elements have made Hoi An a popular and appealing travel destination.

The traditional houses of Hoi An are a mix of reinforced concrete and cement buildings. In particular, the old buildings were built as attached-wall structures with very thick walls. Traces of additions made to two-story structures can also be found, and insulated slabs were used to improve architectural efficiency.

One of the greatest features of Vietnamese architecture is how open its spaces are, thanks to the warm climate. The boundary between interior and exterior, which is considered important in East Asian architecture, nearly disappears, so indoor and outdoor spaces connect naturally. These open spaces allow natural ventilation and provide a comfortable living environment.

The Japanese Bridge in Hoi An holds a remarkable history: in the 1590s, Japanese merchants came all the way to Vietnam to conduct international trade. The bridge connected the Japanese merchant quarter with the Chinese merchant quarter, and its defining feature is a roof, in the style of traditional Japanese bridges. Inside the bridge are a shrine and a temple that add historical meaning, and it is an important cultural heritage site that also appears on Vietnamese currency. This historical background clearly shows that Hoi An was a center of international trade.