Kazik saves Hoi An

Hoi An is a place like no other. Its' cultural and historical legacy has no equal in Vietnam. In contrast to its' other ancient cities, which due to destruction by war and tropical climate, contain only bits of evidence of what once existed (palaces, tombs, temples etc.), Hoi An has preserved intact its former features.

Hoi An, port dating to 15th century (also known as "Faifo" to Western traders) used to be the centre of international (mostly ceramic) trade in 17th century with its spiritual capital My Son. Shipwreck discoveries shown that Vietnamese and Asian pottery were transported even to Sinai, Egypt. Starting from 18th and 19th century Hoi An suffered gradual recession to the advantage of nearby port Da Nang and remained untouched over next 200 years.

Thanks to numerous efforts to revive the city, I could admire among others the Japanese Bridge. It was first constructed in 1590s by Japanese community to link it with Chinese settlement. The modern structure was built in 18th century and features elegant carvings representing the years in which Japanese emperors were born. The entries are guarded by a pair of monkey gods on one end and a pair of dog gods on the other. The Bridge (together with small temple inside) is a symbol of cultural exchange between Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese people living in Hoi An.

As it turned out the conservation of Hoi An would not have been possible without Polish architect and influential cultural educator Kaziemierz Kwiatkowski, who brought the city back to the world. The pronunciation of his name may be a challenge for Vietnamese, therefore Kazimierz became "Kazik". He was the Director of Polish - Vietnamese Conservation Monument Mission created to help saving the architecture of post-war country. Its' biggest achievements are restoring My Son sanctuary (Hindu temple complex), Hoi An itself and Hue. Kazik worked in Vietnam for 16 years until his death in 1997. Locals still greatly appreciate Kazik and his struggles to preserve the Vietnamese culture e.g. he fought for not replacing wooden houses with new block of flats. You can find Kazik's monument along one of the streets of Hoi An. Moreover, thanks to Kazik's efforts the ancient city of Hoi An was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, for being a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port from the 15th to 19th centuries, and for housing buildings with a unique blend of local and foreign influences.

As I am Polish, it warms my heart each time I find out that one of my People has traveled that far and helped local community. Well done Kazik!

Hoi An is also known for its' lantern festival that honors ancestors, which takes place every 14th day of each lunar month. Although, I was not lucky enough to arrive to the city during that time, I hope to believe that I didn't miss much. Still the port (from rooftops to boats) was filled with various sizes of colorful lamps and, I could easily believe I am a little girl again that finally managed to find the Fairy Land where it is good and safe.

You might have heard that the first lanterns used to be made of wood in hexagonal shape but currently they are made from bamboo - a strong and quite flexible material that can be used to create a range of shapes. The lanterns come in an overwhelming variety of colours, however, if you would like to bring one home, you should pay attention to their meaning: yellow - it's Buddhist color that in Vietnam represents change, prosperity, blue - hope and calmness, purple - nostalgia or tenderness, black - evil, green is unlucky in Vietnamese culture and white stands for purity, end.

I got the blue one.

Here are few shots below which I hope you will enjoy!