Hội An
Hội An's importance waned sharply at the end of the 18th century because of the collapse of Nguyễn rule (thanks to the [[Tây Sơn Rebellion]] – which was opposed to foreign trade). Then, with the triumph of Emperor [[Gia Long]], he repaid the French for their aid by giving them exclusive trade rights to the nearby port town of [[Da Nang|Đà Nẵng]]. Đà Nẵng became the new centre of trade (and later French influence) in central Vietnam while Hội An was a forgotten backwater. Local historians also say that Hội An lost its status as a desirable trade port due to silting up of the river mouth. The result was that Hội An remained almost untouched by the changes to Vietnam over the next 200 years. The efforts to revive the city were only done by a late Polish architect and influential cultural educator, [[Kazimierz Kwiatkowski]], who finally brought back Hội An to the world. There is still a statue for the late Polish architect in the city, and remains a symbol of the relationship between Poland and Vietnam, which share many historical commons despite its distance.