Hội An, Vietnam

Vietnam-6, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

Hội An is a small city on the coast of the South China Sea in the South Central Coast of Vietnam.
The city possessed the largest harbour in Southeast Asia in the 1st century and was known as Lâm Ấp Phố (Champa City). Between the seventh and 10th centuries, the Champas controlled the strategic “spice trade” and with this came tremendous wealth. The boats still used today in Hội An probably have the same hull shape as those used by the Champas for ocean voyages.
In 1999, the old town was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, with buildings that display a unique blend of local and foreign influences.