VietNamNet Bridge - The authorities of the ancient town of Hoi An, a world cultural heritage, announced the exemption of entrance fee to the town for Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, war invalids, handicapped people, journalists, children and students of less than 16.

The local authorities are also offering a 50 percent discount on entrance fee to students and soldiers.

Town authorities are also further considering reducing the entry fee for diplomatic delegations, scholars and researchers.

Hoi An is an ancient town located in the central province of Quang Nam and is home to approximately 120,000 inhabitants.

The city possessed the largest harbour in Southeast Asia in the 1st century and was known as Lam Ap Pho (Champa City). Between the seventh and 10th centuries, the Cham (people of Champa) controlled the strategic spice trade and with this came tremendous wealth.

Hoi An was an important trading centre in Vietnam in the 16th and 17th centuries, where Chinese from various provinces as well as Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled.

During this period of the China trade, the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town) in Vietnamese. Originally, Hai Pho was a divided town with the Japanese settlement across the "Japanese Bridge"(16th-17th century). The Chua Cau bridge is a unique covered structure built by the Japanese, the only known covered bridge with a Buddhist pagoda attached to one side.

In 1999, Hoi An 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.

PV