Many of the buildings have barely changed in five hundred years. Rows of tile-roofed shop houses memorialize a century of Portuguese traders, while others look as if they were lifted straight out of China. Many homes here have been in the same family for hundreds of years and have become private museums that you can visit for a small fee. There are several fascinating old temples worth seeing as well as the covered 17th Century Japanese Bridge that has become the icon of Hoi An. Hoi An is still a small town, only recently discovered by foreign visitors.
Bicycles are the transportation of choice here.
What many consider to be Vietnam's most magnificent beach is only a four kilometer bicycle ride away. You could be awakened by the sounds of motorbikes and bicycle bells just after four in the morning as many Hoianese head there for their daily swim. It seems like a crazy thing to do, but pale skin is considered attractive so people stay out of the sun during the day. As you peddle into the darkness towards the beach you will be surrounded by what seems like hundreds of other two wheeled vehicles. It is pleasantly warm and strangely silent except for bicycle chains humming in unison.