Pho co Hoi An, a riverside trading port in Vietnam’s central coast

Pho co Hoi An, the old town of Hoi An in Vietnam, is a compact riverside quarter where preserved timber houses recall centuries of Asian maritime trade.

Pho co Hoi An, the Old Town of Hoi An in central Vietnam, is a compact riverside trading quarter where streets of timber houses and tiled roofs preserve the outline of a port that linked Vietnam with East and Southeast Asia from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. In 1999 the historic core, officially recognised as Hoi An Ancient Town, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, marking its international significance as an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Asian trading port.

Hoi An’s trading port on the Thu Bon River

Pho co Hoi An occupies the north bank of the Thu Bon River in Quang Nam Province, close to where the river bends towards the South China Sea. The World Heritage property known as Hoi An Ancient Town covers about 30 ha (74 acres) of streets and waterfront, surrounded by a wider buffer zone that protects the setting of the river mouth and adjacent neighbourhoods.Hoi An Ancient Town The quarter lies within the city of Hoi An, whose newer districts extend inland and along the river.

From the fifteenth century onwards this small port, known to many foreign merchants as Faifo, handled goods moving between inland production areas and ocean-going ships anchored further downstream.traditional Asian trading port Historical accounts describe Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Dutch vessels calling at Hoi An during the seventeenth century, turning the town into an international commercial centre connected to maritime routes across the region.ships lay at anchor in the mouth of the Thu Bon river

A street grid of timber houses and assembly halls

The street plan of Pho co Hoi An forms a simple grid running parallel and perpendicular to the river, shaped by the need to link houses, warehouses and quays. This framework allowed successive architectural styles to accumulate without altering the basic structure of the town, so that Vietnamese wooden townhouses, Chinese guild halls and later buildings influenced by European forms stand on plots laid out during its trading-port era.compact riverside quarter

Many of the townhouses follow the characteristic “tube house” pattern found in Vietnamese trading streets: a narrow frontage facing the street and a long interior stretching back towards an inner yard or a rear lane.tube houses Timber frames, carved beams and tiled roofs are common features, and some structures retain internal courtyards where light reaches the centre of the plot and where altars, workspaces and living areas share the same enclosed volume.

Japanese Bridge and Chinese merchant halls

Among the most distinctive structures in Pho co Hoi An are the Chinese assembly halls founded by merchant communities from different regions of China. These halls stand out with gateways, ornamental roofs and richly decorated interiors, and they served as places where communities met, organised commercial activities and worshipped deities such as Thien Hau, the goddess associated with protection of seafarers.Chinese merchant communities

At the western edge of the old town, a covered bridge known internationally as the Japanese Bridge spans a small waterway. The structure, called Chua Cau in Vietnamese, combines a timber bridge with a small pagoda-like shelter on top, and stone figures of animals stand at each end as guardians.Japanese Covered Bridge Historical records link this bridge with the presence of Japanese traders in Hoi An during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, when communities from Japan and China maintained quarters on opposite sides of the water.

Visiting Pho co Hoi An: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Pho co Hoi An lies in Minh An Ward on the north bank of the Thu Bon River in Hoi An, in Quang Nam Province of central Vietnam; the nearest major city is Da Nang.north bank of the Thu Bon River
• The terrain in the old town consists of level streets and paved riverfront promenades, with short flights of steps leading into some historic houses and across the Japanese Bridge.
• The Thu Bon River runs directly alongside Pho co Hoi An, and riverfront viewpoints look across to low-lying districts and moored boats on the opposite bank.
• The official language is Vietnamese and the currency is the Vietnamese dong.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Pho co Hoi An

Where is Pho co Hoi An located?

Pho co Hoi An is the historic Old Town quarter of Hoi An, on the north bank of the Thu Bon River in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam.historic Old Town quarter

What can visitors expect on a visit to Pho co Hoi An?

Visitors encounter riverfront streets lined with timber townhouses, Chinese assembly halls and a covered Japanese Bridge, all set within a small walkable grid of lanes and quays.

What makes Pho co Hoi An distinctive among historic towns?

Pho co Hoi An is distinctive for the compact preservation of a fifteenth to nineteenth-century trading port where Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and other architectural influences coexist within a single riverside quarter recognised as Hoi An Ancient Town by UNESCO.inscribed in 1999