After attending the ground-breaking ceremony for Cua Dai bridge over the Thu Bon river, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his wife visited the ancient town of Hoi An, the Old House of Tan Ky, the Phuoc Kien Club House and Cau Pagoda.

Mr Dung praised the local people for having protected and preserved Hoi An’s original architecture for over the past hundreds of years.

Despite experiencing the ups and downs of history and being damaged by natural disasters, the cultural and architectural relics in Hoi An remain intact and have become a world cultural heritage. With its strong potential for developing local economy, services and tourism, Hoi An is seen as the centre of cultural exchanges both for the country and the region, said Mr Dung.

The Government leader also asked the local authorities to inspect a number of tumbledown relic sites and create a project to protect and restore the ancient town, for submission to the Government for approval.