Hội An is a coastal city[1] in central Vietnam on the South China Sea. The city is located in Quảng Nam Province and has about 120,000 inhabitants. This former port city of the kingdom of Champa lies on the estuary of the Hội An and was an important trading center in the 16th and 17th centuries. Then traders from China, Japan, Holland and India came there. At the time of the trade relations with China the city was called Hai Pho (place at the sea), during the French occupation Faifo. Originally Hai Pho was separated into two city parts; on the other side of the "Japanese Bridge" was a Japanese settlement.
In 1999, Hoi An's old town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading town from the 15th to 19th centuries, with buildings showing a unique blend of local and foreign influences. One example is the 'Japanese Bridge' (Chùa Cầu).