This is the first time in Doodle history, a specific landmark of Vietnam has chosen to honor. Hoi An is located downstream of Thu Bon river, on the coastal plain of Quang Nam province, Vietnam, about 30 kilometers south of Da Nang city. Hoi An ancient town is a typical example of traditional port in Southeast Asia that is preserved intactly and thoughtfully.
 
The majority of houses and buildings such as pagodas, temples are traditional architecture dating from the 17^th to the 19^th century distributed along the narrow streets. Hoi An is also the land that holds many imprints of the Eastern and Western mixture, cross-cultural with halls, pagodas, temples and shrines which bear vestiges of Chinese or Japanese people and be located next to Vietnamese traditional houses and French architectural style houses. Each type has its own function, specific characteristics and nuances. From two values ​​including the combination of cultures through periods in an international port and the perfect management as well as conservation intil now, Hoi An ancient town has been recognized as a world cultural heritage on December 4, 1999.
 
Google Doodles honor Hoi An ancient town
 
Developing tourism along with preserving cultural heritage have made Hoi An become the first city of Vietnam to appear on homepage Google.com.vn via Google Doodles symbol on July 16. This is a special time with the full moon night festival in Hoi An ancient town. Traffic will be banned on roads along Hoai river in the old quarter. The quiet streets which have no light and sound of engine will give way for lanterns which are lit up from 6 p.m. Local people burn incense on the ancestor altar praying for good luck; and tourists can float paper lanterns to pray for peace, immerse themselves in the fanciful and sparkling space on Hoai river, enjoy traditional art activities at destinations which attract many tourists. Arriving in Hoi An on the occasion of this full moon festival, visitors will immerse themselves in space of many centuries ago.
 
Mr. Nguyen Hai, Deputy Director of Quang Nam Tourism Promotion and Information Center, said that Google’s activities in Quang Nam province in the past and the first time that Google honors a place of Vietnam, specifically Quang Nam, on homepage Vietnamese Google is a great honor of Quang Nam. Through this event, those who love Quang Nam are more and more affectionate now, especially for Hoi An. Besides, netizens also have the opportunity to access more and faster with Quang Nam. We hope that the cooperation between Google and Quang Nam tourism will become more and more stable and developed.
 
Google Doodles are special symbols, temporarily replacing for Google logo on homepage Google.com (or Vietnamese Google, google.com.vn) in order to celebrate the major holidays, events, achievements and characters who have important contributions in many areas for the community in his country, or for humanity. On homepage of Vietnamese Google since 2003, there have been many works of Doodles in the way that Google honors the typical culture in Vietnam as well as celebrates traditional holidays such as Vietnamese Teachers’ Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Lunar New Year, National Day, the deceased musician Trinh Cong Son …
 
THIÊN PHÚC