Today, Hội An is famous for its lantern-lit streets, yellow houses, and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge. Every year, millions of visitors explore the ancient town, often hearing stories about the Japanese merchants who once lived there. But one question is rarely asked: Why did Japanese merchants travel more than 3,000 kilometers across the sea to trade in Hội An? During the early seventeenth century, the journey from Nagasaki to central Vietnam was neither easy nor safe.

INTRODUCTION During the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An emerged as one of the most important international trading ports in Southeast Asia under the rule of the Nguyen Lords. Located along strategic maritime routes connecting East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe, Hoi An became a natural meeting point for merchants from many different countries. Among these communities, Japanese traders played a particularly important role in shaping the port’s commercial and cultural identit