− | Hoi An, located a short distance outside of Da Nang, was a major central [[Vietnam]]ese port in the early modern period, and home to a major ''[[Nihonmachi]]'' (Japantown) in the late 16th to early 17th centuries. | + | Hoi An, located a short distance outside of Da Nang, was a major central [[Vietnam]]ese port in the early modern period, and home to a major ''[[Nihonmachi]]'' (Japantown) in the late 16th to early 17th centuries. Many European records refer to the city as Faifo. |
| The community, home to only a few tens of Japanese families, got its start in the late 16th century, when [[Ming Dynasty]] policies forbade Chinese merchants to trade directly with Japanese; though direct trade continued in great amounts, including in [[Nagasaki]] (i.e., in Japan proper), many Chinese and Japanese merchants also came to use Hoi An, among other Southeast Asian sites, as intermediary points, where they could trade safely. | | The community, home to only a few tens of Japanese families, got its start in the late 16th century, when [[Ming Dynasty]] policies forbade Chinese merchants to trade directly with Japanese; though direct trade continued in great amounts, including in [[Nagasaki]] (i.e., in Japan proper), many Chinese and Japanese merchants also came to use Hoi An, among other Southeast Asian sites, as intermediary points, where they could trade safely. |