Places of Interest - Vietnam

The old center:

The city center of "Hoi An" has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999 and that has its advantages. Firstly, the old streets are car-free and there are restrictions on the buildings in the city in terms of height, color and material. The result is a very authentic city that reminds you of the old days besides the main drag of (international) tourists. Of the 800 buildings that fall under the old city, 15 are open to the public. You need different tickets to see everything but each ticket gives you the possibility to see something of the characteristic things in the city. There are old (Colonial) houses, pagodas and temples, especially Chinese so-called meeting houses and museums. One of the nicest meeting rooms is the "Fujian" and for the houses you can best visit the "Tan Ky" house to get an idea. Especially the houses around the old harbor are very well preserved. Other things you can see in the center is for example the old small but very photogenic Japanese bridge ("Chua Cau") that connected the Japanese branch to the Chinese. Old weathered statues on both sides (monkeys and dogs) provided protection and the thick poles against the danger of collapse in an earthquake. Finally, there is the source where the secret recipe of "Cao Lau" is made, a specialty of the city.

"My Son":

The archaeological city "My Son" became an important religious center during the time of King "Bhadravarman" in the 4th century in the "Champa" Kingdom. Until the 13th century people would live and work here and it would grow to be the most important religious and intellectual place; it could also be that the place gave shelter to the final resting place of "Cham" monarchs. Many temples were built in honor of "Shiva" the Hindu god who would be the founder and protector of the "Champa" dynasty. Once a number of buildings in the city would be covered with a thick layer of gold, but over the centuries the ruins have been drained by the Vietnamese, Chinese and Khmer people. Because the "Champa" people did not have enough land to grow rice, they would start piracy which brought them into direct conflict with the Northern Vietnamese and the Southern Khmer's - this battle would be lost over the centuries although there are still descendants of the "Cham's" in the coastal province in Vietnam.  

The remaining ruins (there were once 68 buildings, now 20) would have to endure heavily in the American war. The VC uses "My Son" as a shelter and the Americans would bomb the site more than once. Yet "My Son" remains the most important place in Vietnam to admire the "Cham" dynasty. Not in the last place because it is located in a beautiful green area with mountains, forest and a river. The ruins are divided into 10 groups (from A to K) and are spread over a site of approximately 200m2. You can see different temples, a store for holy books and things for ceremonies, a basin, an old gate and a meditation hall. Especially group A (which according to old local people was most admirable) was completely destroyed by American aerial bombardments. The part that they could not get hold of was attacked by a group of helicopters.

Even though the region and the city we now call "Hoi An" had been inhabited for a long time, between the 2nd and 10th centuries it was a busy and important port in the "Champa" Kingdom, stretching along the entire south coast. Only in the 14th century this rest and commercial period was interrupted by a war between the Vietnamese and Champa's. Then the trade was picked up again and "Hoi An" flourished as never before. Traders and sellers from all over the world came to the city to make money. The number of Japanese and Chinese surpassed the others as it was easy to get to them in the port city. If the tide was good, the wind brought them here and a few months later their sails bobbled back and carried back to their motherland. At the time they were in "Hoi An" they rented the big department stores in the port for storage and to live and work. In 1607 the Japanese Emperor forbade international action and they left; the Chinese remained and would later make the first Chinese branch in South Vietnam. "Hoi An" or as the Europeans called it "Faifoo" brought Christianity alongside all trade. First it was the Portuguese who landed here, followed by the Dutch, English and French. 

In the 18th century the city would be completely destroyed by the "Tay Son" Rebellion to be completely renovated later in the same style. The trade of the port city would only collapse when the vein of the city, the river silted up and the commerce disappeared to the nearby "Danang". During the French period, "Hoi An" would act as an administrative center. Good agreements between the Vietcong, NVA (North Vietnamese), ARVN (South Vietnamese) and the Americans ensured that the Colonial city as a whole remained free of damage during the Vietnam War. One of the reasons why the city is now a very important tourist center of Vietnam that attracts many admirers.