Nguyen Thai Hoc Street

If Tran Phu is the backbone of Hoi An, then Nguyen Thai Hoc is its beating heart — the street where the town's beauty and soul are on full display, block after gorgeous block. Running parallel to the river, just one row of buildings back from the waterfront, this is where many visitors fall completely in love with Hoi An. The street is named after Nguyen Thai Hoc, a Vietnamese revolutionary who led an uprising against French colonial rule in 1930. But the buildings lining this road predate that struggle by centuries. These are the merchant houses and trading shophouses that made Hoi An wealthy, and their architectural character is unlike anything else in Southeast Asia. Start with the yellow. That warm, sun-baked mustard tone covering nearly every facade has become Hoi An's signature color. It comes from a traditional lime wash mixed with local pigments that Vietnamese and Chinese builders have used for generations. Combined with dark wood shutters, terracotta roof tiles, and silk lanterns strung overhead in every color imaginable, the effect is almost impossibly photogenic. The most famous resident of this street is the Tan Ky Old House at number 101. Built in the late 18th century,...