Have you ever you ever wondered why Hoi An is called The Yellow City of Vietnam? I certainly did as we wandered around the golden glow of these striking yellow buildings throughout this UNESCO town. Hoi An is a popular tourist destination because it is beautiful, it has great food, and the tailoring in Hoi An is major draw card. You can read more about what to see and do in Hoi An by clicking the link.
Location of the Hoi An, the Yellow City of Vietnam
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The Yellow City of Vietnam, Hoi An is located in Vietnam’s central province of Quang Nam. It was an active trading port from the 15th to 19th century. There is an international airport at nearby Da Nang (40minutes away), and the lively Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is a one hour flight to the south, while the beautiful capital city of Hanoi is a one hour flight to the north.
Hoi An, the only town in the country that escaped the war entirely unscathed, leaving many of the buildings from the 16th through to the 19th centuries pretty much as they were. Hoi An is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site site, and has become a major tourist attraction, “where time stood still.”
So why is Hoi An known as The Yellow City of Vietnam?
There are a number of theories as to why yellow was and is the predominant colours of this very attractive city in Vietnam.
For Practical Reasons
Vietnam is a tropical country, with some extreme temperatures in June and July, particularly. Yellow is a bright colour, and it absorbs less heat. The yellow colour would stop the buildings from being overheated. However, the scientist in Gordon claims that white would have been a better solution, as it reflects the heat. I like the yellow better. Vietnam also gets a lot of rain, and consequently, a lot of moss grows on the buildings. Green moss on yellow looks better than green on white. They have a point.
For Symbolical Reasons
Yellow symbolizes royalty and superiority in Korea, China, and Vietnam…and in France, wand each of these countries has left a tremendous impact on Vietnam. Many temples and traditional Vietnamese shop fronts are painted in different shades of this glowing yellow. Importantly yellow is a highly-revered colour in Vietnamese culture. Yellow signifies wealth, prosperity, royalty, happiness, and change. Source
For Tourists
It became very obvious to the local people that visitors were enchanted by the golden buildings on the riverfront and throughout the city. This is what gave Hoi An it’s heritage status in the first place, as well as a city ‘where time stood still.’ Now the plethora of lanterns throughout the city also adds to the appeal as well as the golden glow given out by the yellow buildings. The fact the cua bac church was originally grey but is now totally golden is a nod to the recognition of the appeal of this beautiful city to the outside world.
Whatever the reasons, Hoi An, The Yellow City of Vietnam is an aesthetically beautiful city. It is also a city that makes you feel happy as you wander around.
we visited Hoi An almost ten years ago, your pictures brought me back to that trip 🙂
We loved Hoi An, and look forward to visiting again.
Loved the blog on Hoi An, we visited it last year and loved it. Your photographs show so many of the places we visited.
Please check out my blog on http://www.myfavouritebench.com.
Paul
Isn’t it an amazing city. We loved it and will return.
This city is enchanting. It’s a definite must visit when I make my way to Vietnam.
Definitely – you will love it.
I love the stunning colours in these photos. Thanks for the tip to check out Hoi An. Better get my ass in gear and book some flights!
Definitely book the tickets soon, Hoi An and Vietnam are amazing.
I live in the Philippines and now want to paint everything yellow. I didn’t realize it absorbed less heat than other colors! HoiAn is such a beautiful place and strolling around for a few days at a relaxed pace is very much recommend. I enjoyed looking at your photos and reading this article. Thanks!
I want to paint everything yellow too, because it is such a beautiful colour.
Hoi An was a memorable moment in a recent trip to Vietnam.
I wpuld call it a village or town definitely not a city!
My impression was a reminder if a Tuscan town with the colors being an ocre.
I so wanted to call it a village too, but with a population of 120,000 it is classified as a Vietnamese city. I agree, it is Tuscany in Vietnam .. will also get back to you on this, as we are off to Tuscany next week.
Beautiful city, we spent time here many years ago and we still have fond memories of Hoi An.The movie (Quiet American) was filmed in part here. I even visited Michael Cains hotel room. Vietnam very interesting and inexpensive.
It is a beautiful city, and we enjoyed our time there, and will return again.
Hoi An, Vietnam awesome travel (Y)
Agreed, Hoi and Vietnam are amazing
Sorry Gordon – but wouldn’t white also reflect the sun leaving everyone with permanently sunburnt eyes? Besides yellow is so much calmer. I had never heard of Hoi An but I have been trying to persuade my other half to take the plunge and visit Vietnam. He is a sucker for pretty architecture so maybe if I show him your post it might help.
Seems to work out well in Santorini with their white washed walls Lyn. You gotta get the David out of his comfort zone. He would love the architecture, food and the people PLUS everyone cycles. Win-win