The Art of Hoi An

At dusk in Hoi An, the lanterns come on one by one. Silk stretched over bamboo frames glows red, yellow and blue along the Thu Bon River, and the ochre walls of the old merchant houses turn warm in the light. It looks designed for photographs, but the craft behind it is centuries old.

A port that stood still

From roughly the fifteenth to the nineteenth century, Hoi An was a busy trading port. Japanese and Chinese merchants settled here alongside Vietnamese traders, and their influence is still in the streets: the Japanese Covered Bridge, the ornate assembly halls built by Chinese communities, and shophouses that run deep from street to river.

When the river silted up and trade moved north to Da Nang, the town was largely left alone. That quiet century preserved it. In 1999, Hoi An Ancient Town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as an exceptionally well-preserved Southeast Asian trading port.

Made by hand

Craft is still the town's working life. Lantern makers bend bamboo and glue silk in open-fronted workshops. Tailors can measure you in the morning and have a first fitting ready soon after. Just outside the centre, Thanh Ha has been a pottery village for generations, and the carpenters of Kim Bong village are known for boat building and fine wood carving.

Many workshops welcome visitors to watch or try their hand, whether that means shaping clay on a foot-turned wheel or assembling a lantern to carry home. A little time spent making something changes how the town's shopfronts look afterwards.

The full moon

Once a month, on the fourteenth day of the lunar calendar, the old town dims its electric lights. Families place offerings at their doors, lanterns fill the streets, and small paper candles float out on the river. It is the moment when Hoi An's craft, faith and trading history come together, and the best evening of the month to be there.

Go early, walk the back lanes before the crowds settle along the river, and stay out late. By ten the streets are quiet again.