We have seen many amazing sights on this trip and many have caught us by surprise and Hoian definitely was one of those stops. This historic, quaint riverside town is a step back into 16th and 17th century Vietnam and is beautifully preserved and even now on World Heritage List.
Japanese covered bridge
Laurence in Hoian
The town of Hoian is a unique collection of many different architectural styles of monuments, houses, pagodas, shrines, temples, bridges and markets. This impressive collection of historic buildings is like a living museum with winding streets and small walkways in excellent condition all inviting you to explore. Here we spent hours walking through the pedestrian only streets and the boutique shops, we ate at small restaurants along the river and watched the local life before us and we enjoyed the New Years lights in the river. The market was packed with local produce and the river was constantly alive with boats arriving with the local residents just living their lives in Vietnam.
Chinese New Years Eve Sculptures
The many styles of architecture from Chinese, European and Japanese gave the entire village a unique and picturesque feel. Laurence was in his element photographing every street and angle of the village, he thought it felt like the “Venice of Vietnam”. The village lives around the Hoai River so we took a boat tour to visit an island nearby to experience the handicrafts of the area and see local life.
Loading up motorcyles on boat
We only had one night in Hoian, but we needed a week, we need to return to this most special place in the heart of Vietnam.
Locals fishing
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