Hoi An covered bridge

The theme letter for our ‪‎travel pics this week is V, for Vietnam.

For Saturday, we head to the middle of the country, and the city of Hoi An.

This historic city was initially a harbour for the Cham people – who ruled the coast of central and southern Vietnam for about 1500 years, until the early 1800s.

But it really flourished from 1500 to 1900 when it became a major trading port.

The centre of Hoi An reflects this period, and has been recognised as a UN Heritage Site, and the covered ‘Japanese bridge’ is something of a symbol for the city.

It has been there for centuries – the first incarnation was completed in 1590, and the ornamentation remains faithful to that period.

It was built to connect the Japanese part of the town with the rest – and has a unique small Buddhist temple inside (on the other side to the flag you see here)

There is a legend that a giant monster called Cu had its head in India, its tail in Japan, and its body in Vietnam – and every time it moved, earthquakes occurred.

Hoi An, according to the story, was the weakest point in its back – so the bridge was built here to break that back, and kill the creature.

But because they felt sorry about having to kill Cu, the bridge builders also included a temple to show their respects.