Hoi An

Hoi An is my soft spot. A 15th-century trading port that grew rich on silk and ceramics, went quiet when its river silted up, and was therefore never modernised – so what survives is not one pretty building but an entire merchant town, street plan and all, on the UNESCO list since 1999.

It is also a town that rewards planning more than almost anywhere I send people, because the difference between Hoi An at six in the morning and Hoi An at noon is the difference between enchantment and a coach park. Get the hours right, get the right person walking with you, and it is one of the loveliest few days in Asia.

Here is everything I would tell you before you go.