Hoi An street named one of world's most beautiful

Tran Phu Street in Hoi An, famous for its century-old houses and monthly lantern festival, has been named among the 71 most beautiful in the world by Architectural Digest.

Tran Phu Street in Hoi An, famous for its century-old houses and monthly lantern festival, has been named among the 71 most beautiful in the world by Architectural Digest.

"Once a highly prosperous and always-busy trading port active between the 15th and 19th centuries, Hoi An is a highly visited spot for quite a few reasons, especially during a monthly lantern festival held on Tran Phu Street," the American magazine said.

The festival is held on the 14th and 15th days of the lunar month when all lights in town are switched off and locals light a candle and place it under a colorful paper lantern.

The kilometer-long Tran Phu Street used to be a busy boulevard during the French colonial period and is now home to Chinese-influenced pagodas and museums, eateries and souvenir shops.

Other streets in the list include the Old Town in France, Brunngasse in Switzerland, Setenil de las Bodegas in Spain, Aldama in Mexico, Jinli in China, and Tetsugaku No Michi in Japan.