A recent trip to Vietnam, and especially Hoi An, brought home how drastically the country has changed over the past 30 years.
It is now a very popular destination; in 2024, 14.8 million tourists flew into Vietnam, earning the country US$35 billion.
Hoi An today is a tourist favourite. Its Old Town dates back to the 15th century, and was an important trading port between Europe, India, Japan and China.
After the Vietnam war (1955-1975) and other conflicts, the coastal town was revived in the 1990s by Polish architect and conservator Kazimierz Kwiatkowski and given Unesco World Heritage status in 1999.
More than 4 million tourists visited Hoi An in 2024, with huge crowds gathering in the evening in the Old Town to see the lanterns and famous covered bridge, visit the restaurants and browse shops that sell coffee, fashion, jewellery, paintings and more.
Let us go back in time, before Agoda and Flights.com, before social media and selfies, before smartphones, before the internet. Bear in mind these photos were taken 30 years ago with a film camera – faded and with muted colours, they have that retro look.