Phố Cổ Hội An

Hoi An's old town is the reason people come — a UNESCO-listed trading port frozen somewhere in the 1800s, with mustard-yellow shophouses, wooden temples and a river strung with silk lanterns. Cars are banned in the core, so you walk: past tailors, lantern makers, art galleries and more coffee than you can drink. By day it's heritage houses and assembly halls; after dark the lanterns come on, boats carry paper candles down the Hoai River, and the whole place glows. It's touristy and it knows it, but few old towns in Asia are this intact. A ticket covers five heritage sites.

Highlights

Jules Ashby, Editor, Pointer Guides