|
 The
ancient town of Hoi An, 30 km south of
Danang, lies on the banks of the Thu Bon
River. Occupied by early western traders,
Hoi An was one of the major trading centers
of Southeast Asia in the 16th century.
Hoi An has a distinct Chinese atmosphere
with low, tile-roofed houses and narrow
streets; the original structure of some of
these streets still remains almost intact.
All the houses were made of rare wood,
decorated with lacquered boards and panels
engraved with Chinese characters. Pillars
were also carved with ornamental designs.
Tourists can visit the relics of the Sa
Huynh and Cham cultures. They can also enjoy
the beautiful scenery of the romantic Hoi An
River, Cua Dai Beach, and Cham Island.
Over the last few years, Hoi An has become a
very popular tourist destination in Vietnam.
Light Bright
NO FLUORESCENT LIGHTS. NO MOTORCYCLES. NO
TELEVISION. ON THE 15TH DAY OF EACH LUNAR
MONTH, THE RIVERSIDE TOWN OF HOI AN GIVES
MODERN LIFE THE NIGHT OFF.
In a wood-fronted shops a woman in
traditional dress sits at a desk, bathed in
the light of a lantern made from a simple
bamboo fish-trap. Outside, two old men are
absorbed in a candlelit game of Chinese
checkers. These scenes, straight out of the
19th century, still take place in Hoi An, a
sleepy riverside town in the central
province of Quang Nam.
Hoi An has long been a cultural crossroad.
More than five centuries ago the Vietnamese
nation of Dai Viet expanded its territory
southwards, encroaching on the Indianized
Kingdom of Champa, which covered much of
what is now central Vietnam. Hoi An, located
on the Hoai River, emerged when Japanese and
Chinese traders built a commercial district
there in the 16th century.
These diverse cultural influences remain
visible today. Visitors will find Hoi An's
Old Quarter lined with two-storey Chinese
shops, their elaborately carved wooden
facades and moss-covered tile roofs having
withstood the ravages of more than 300 years
of weather and warfare. These proud old
buildings, which back onto the river, remind
visitors of another era, when Hoi An's
market was filled with wares from as far
afield as India and Europe. Colourful
guildhalls, founded by ethnic Chinese from
Guangdong and Fujian provinces, stand
quietly, a testament to the town's trading
roots.
While Hoi An's old-fashioned charm is always
visible, on the 15th of every lunar month
modernity takes another step back. On these
evenings the town turns off its street lamps
and fluorescent lights, leaving the Old
Quarter bathed in the warm glow of coloured
silk, glass and paper lanterns. In ancient
times, Vietnamese people made lamps out of
shallow bowls filled with oil. Later,
foreign traders introduced lanterns, ranging
from round and hexagonal designs from China
to diamond and star shaped ones from Japan.
LET THERE BE
LIGHT
 When
developing plans to preserve their town's
ancient character, Hoi An residents decided
to revive the practice of using coloured
lanterns. Starting in the fall of 1998, one
night each month is declared a "lantern
festival". On the 15th day of each lunar
month, residents on Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai
Hoc, Le Loi and Bach Dang streets switch off
their lights and hang cloth and paper
lanterns on their porches and windows.
Television sets, radios, street lights and
neon lights are turned off.
In the ensuing quiet the streets of Hoi An
are at their most romantic, the darkness
broken only by jeweltoned lanterns in all
manner of shapes and sizes.
Strolling through the lantern-lit streets is
like walking into a fairytale. It is all the
more picturesque since motor vehicles are
banned from Hoi An's Old Quarter. On Trai
Phu Street, stop at the beautifully
preserved Faifo Restaurant to sample some
traditional Chinese-style pastries. Or walk
on to the Treated Caf6, where bamboo
baskets, commonly used to wash rice, have
been transformed into unique lanterns. These
basket lamps are but one example of people's
creativity as they experiment with new
shapes and materials, including lights made
from hollow bamboo tubes.
A WARM GLOW
The 15th day of the lunar month is a
Buddhist day of worship. Residents
place offerings of food and incense on their
ancestral altars and visit one of Hoi An's
many pagodas. The scent of incense and the
sounds of people singing add to the town's
enchanted atmosphere. On these evenings,
visitors will get a rare glimpse into
another era. These nights are a welcome
reminder of life's unexpected beauty. |
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