Five Highlights of the Ancient City of Hoi An in Vietnam, Hoi An, Vietnam

There are many good reasons to visit the vibrant UNESCO city of Hoi An a town that lights up every night as dusk falls on its ancient buildings. Scooters surged into the town and park wherever they can find a space so their occupants can walk along the banks of the Thu Bon river into the old town, for a small fee that has to be paid by visitors to this area. Hoi An is a popular venue for festivals and the remnants of an international food festival which had taken place last week mingled with the new decorations for the monthly festival of light that is held every month to celebrate the full moon. The lights along the bank cast colourful reflections in the black water beyond them. Mythical animals ablaze with lights appear to float on the surface. Soon after we arrived in the town we joined the stream of pedestrians into the old town. After eating at the Secret Garden Restaurant down one of the narrow streets off the main thoroughfare we visited the night market which features several stalls ablaze with traditional lanterns.

The ancient Merchants House or Tan Ky House, the home of a Vietnamese merchant was built nearly two centuries ago. It is still owned by the same family who have preserved its interior design and old furniture, as well as many relics of the prospering trade and cultural exchanges among the Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese during the late seventeenth century. The four rooms in this old house are small and packed with various beautiful antiques mainly made of wood. Each of these rooms had a different purposes: one for welcoming the Chinese merchants, one is the living room, the third is the courtyard and the last one is the bedroom. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).