The Runcible Architect.: Hoi An.

Boats on the Thu Bon River, Old Town, Hoi An.

Um, where? That's what I thought, when I started out on my research for this trip. But after reading about this town, I wanted to see it. The only town in Vietnam to emerge unscathed from the wars of the 20th century [owing to cooperation from all sides], it was one of the largest trading ports in Asia in the starting in the 16th century. Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, Indian, Thai, American, French, British, Filipino, and Indonesian ships all docked here, to trade in silk, spices, tea, molasses, beeswax, mother-of-pearl, lacquerware, etc. It started to decline in importance as the Thu Bon River silted up in the late 19th century, but its historic architectural fabric remained. In 1999, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as a result, the tourists have flooded in.

Luckily, standards for historic preservation and tourist development soon followed, and over 800 buildings are now protected in old town Hoi An. But, as with other towns that trade on their architectural stock, the influx of tourists has far-reaching consequences. While Old Town is preserved, it's often as a set piece for tourists - the locals aren't exactly patronizing the souvenir shops, the gazillions of tailor shops and custom shoe shops, or the museums. At first glance, it appeared to me that the town had been completely overrun by tourists, pushing the locals to the periphery.

Upon being here now for over a week, however, I now see much more intricate patterns of habitation. The market, while it sells trinkets and souvenir items, is dominated by produce, animals [chickens, ducks, frogs, grubs, shrimp, crabs, you name it], and fishing supplies. The congregation halls, built in the 18th century by groups of Chinese expats, still host almost nightly gatherings, parties, and activities for members. Many of the "ancient houses" are occupied by the 6th, 7th, 8th generations, and your tour guide when you visit is likely a daughter or niece of the family. And at night, strolling down the empty streets [no motorbikes allowed in much of Old Town, thankfully], the pinpoint glow of incense dots the fronts of houses, shops, telephone poles, whatever.

Hoi An's residents have, for hundreds of years, understood the commercial value of goods - is it any wonder that the latest goods for sale around here are the charms of the town itself? In that way, at first blush, it seems that Hoi An is different from places like Falmouth, where a huge, multinational company [Royal Caribbean] showed up, appropriated the culture of the inhabitants, and Disney-fied it. It's not such a neat comparison, though, when one considers the fact that Hoi An has UNESCO World Heritage status, requiring [and giving guidance for] preservation of the architectural and urban fabric. Could it be the difference between the impetus for historic architecture to be preserved because of making money from tourists [Royal Caribbean], or genuine interest in cultural preservation [UNESCO]? Might be a "chicken or the egg" issue.