Menyusur-Galur Sejarah Hoi Andalam Hubungannya dengan Kepulauan Melayu

An Historical Sketch of the Hoi Anand its Linkages Between the Malay Archipelago

Abstract

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An, the former harbour town which was located at the estuary of the Thu Bon river (Quang Nam province) emerged as an important Vietnamese trading centre for the Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Indian and Malay traders. Hoi An was the closest source for many luxury goods exported to China such as silk, ebony, aloe wood, sugar, musk, cinnamon, rice and other local products from the mountains of Truong Son and the Thu Bon’s alluvial plains. On the other hand, everyday and luxury items from China which were always in high demand were exchanged in return. Consequently, Hoi An flourished not only by serving as a regional collection and distribution point for neighboring coastal ports along the southern Indochina seaboard, it also helped to facilitate the larger coastal trade by providing shelter, water supply and firewood for ships traveling along the coasts from South Asia to East Asia. This enabled the Dai Viet empire (Nguyen Early Dynasty) to become one of the most significant commercial middlemen in South China Sea. Thus, this paper will attempt to look closely at the expansion of Hoi An in its heyday during the 16th and 17th centuries, to assess its emergence as a dynamic Southeast Asian emporium port and to search for the historical linkages between the Malay Archipelago and Indochina as a whole.