Land of Lanterns  

Express News Service

It’s the lanterns that catch the eye first. Bamboo and silk structures sway in the gentle breeze of the daytime, lit by lamps to cast a luminous glow in the balmy nights. Lanterns of lacquer red, royal purple, azure blue, fuchsia pink, molten gold and pristine white. They hang all over the town of Hoi An in Central Vietnam.

Hoi An became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, and today sees about four million tourists every year. This ancient trading port has the River Thu Bon neatly dissecting the Old Town from the new, and its symbol is the 16th-century Japanese Bridge. To the left of this bridge lies the Japanese quarter, to the right the Chinese one; the entrance and exit are guarded by a dog and a monkey, respectively.

There is an old Japanese legend that links this bridge built by them with a monster named Namazu, whose restless movements caused earthquakes and floods. It is believed that Namazu’s head is located in India, its body in Vietnam and tail in Japan. The bridge was specifically built to pin down the monster, curtail its movements and thus avert disasters, though the jury is still out on the efficacy: Hoi An is prone to flooding, and a building in the Old Town—the Tan Ky house—holds a watermark record of recent floodlines. 

Tourists get to go onto the river in a kayak or motorboat, explore the town on motorbikes and cycles. The kayak is hugely popular; at night, the river sparkles with boats on the water, and people holding lanterns to set afloat on the water. 

During the Hoi An Lantern Full Moon Festival, which takes place every full moon night, the town is decked up with even more lanterns. The shops in the city stock these lanterns, wonderfully crafted linen clothing, as well as immaculately finished leather bags, wallets and purses, all at competitive prices.

<br /> It’s the lanterns that catch the eye first. Bamboo and silk structures sway in the gentle breeze of the daytime, lit by lamps to cast a luminous glow in the balmy nights. Lanterns of lacquer red, royal purple, azure blue, fuchsia pink, molten gold and pristine white. They hang all over the town of Hoi An in Central Vietnam.</p> <p>Hoi An became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, and today sees about four million tourists every year. This ancient trading port has the River Thu Bon neatly dissecting the Old Town from the new, and its symbol is the 16th-century Japanese Bridge. To the left of this bridge lies the Japanese quarter, to the right the Chinese one; the entrance and exit are guarded by a dog and a monkey, respectively.</p> <p>There is an old Japanese legend that links this bridge built by them with a monster named Namazu, whose restless movements caused earthquakes and floods. It is believed that Namazu’s head is located in India, its body in Vietnam and tail in Japan. The bridge was specifically built to pin down the monster, curtail its movements and thus avert disasters, though the jury is still out on the efficacy: Hoi An is prone to flooding, and a building in the Old Town—the Tan Ky house—holds a watermark record of recent floodlines. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Tourists get to go onto the river in a kayak or motorboat, explore the town on motorbikes and cycles. The kayak is hugely popular; at night, the river sparkles with boats on the water, and people holding lanterns to set afloat on the water. </p> <p>During the Hoi An Lantern Full Moon Festival, which takes place every full moon night, the town is decked up with even more lanterns. The shops in the city stock these lanterns, wonderfully crafted linen clothing, as well as immaculately finished leather bags, wallets and purses, all at competitive prices.<br />