User:Crhroma/Hoi An Old Town

'''Hội An Ancient Town is an old town located downstream of the Thu Bon River, in the coastal plain of Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, about 30 kilometers south of Da Nang City. Thanks to favorable geographical and climatic factors, Hoi An was once a bustling international trading port, a meeting place for Japanese, Chinese and Western merchant ships during the 17th and 18th centuries. Before this period, there were also traces of the Cham Pa trading port here, often mentioned along the maritime silk road. In the 19th century, due to the inconvenience of water transportation here, Hoi An port gradually declined, giving way to Da Nang, which was then being built by the French. Hoi An was fortunate not to be destroyed in the two wars and avoided the rapid urbanization of the late 20th century. Starting from the 1980s, the architectural and cultural values of Hoi An Ancient Town gradually attracted the attention of scholars and tourists, making it one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Vietnam.'''

'''Today, Hoi An Ancient Town is a unique example of a well-preserved traditional Southeast Asian trading port. The majority of the houses here are traditional architecture dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries, located along narrow streets. Interspersed among the townhouses are religious and cultural buildings that testify to the formation, development, and even decline of the city. Hoi An is also a land that bears many marks of cultural mixing and blending. Assembly halls and temples bearing Chinese imprints are located next to traditional Vietnamese townhouses and French-style houses. Besides the cultural values through architectural works, Hoi An also preserves a diverse and rich intangible cultural heritage. The daily life of the ancient town's residents with their customs, beliefs, folk art, and cultural festivals are still being preserved and developed. Hoi An is considered a living museum of architecture and urban lifestyle.'''

With its outstanding values, at the 23rd session in late 1999 (December 4), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized Hoi An Ancient Town as a world cultural heritage, based on two criteria:


 * Hoi An is a unique and outstanding manifestation of the cultural blend that took place over many periods in an international trading port.
 * Hoi An is a prime example of a traditional Asian trading port that has been perfectly preserved.