Hội An is a small town on the coast of South China Sea in central Vietnam. It is located in the Quảng Nam province and is home to approximately 25,000 inhabitants. The former harbour town of the Champa people at the estuary of the Thu Bon river was an important trading centre in the 16th and 17th centuries, where Chinese from various provinces as well as Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled down. During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town), during the French occupation. Originally Hai Pho was a divided town, because across the "Japanese Bridge" used to be the Japanese settlement. The bridge (Chùa cầu) is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist pagoda attached to one side. The town is known to the French and Spanish as Faifo; the name is thought to be the result of a mis-communication between a local habitant and a Spanish trader around the 17th century.
In its heyday the port town attracted vessels from the world's great trading nations, and many Chinese merchants stayed on. Somehow the town escaped damage during both the French and American wars and its charming 200-year-old wooden-fronted shop-houses are among its chief tourist sights. Not surprisingly, Hoi An is now firmly on the tourist agenda and for some is already too much of a trap, with its proliferating souvenir stalls, art galleries and hotels. Plenty of bars and restaurants allalong the riverfront.