The strong winds that blow in the South China Sea were one of the reasons of the rise of Hoi An. Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese ships traveling from north to south went to Hoi An looking for a place to be safe when the typhoons blew. The merchants used to stay in town for several days till the weather conditions improved. With the time, some of these Chinese and Japanese traders stayed in Hoi An. This is how the Japanese and the Chinese quarters were born.