Hoi An Ancient Town, Hoi An

Hoi An Ancient Town, Hoi An

Step back centuries in time as you enter the Hoi An Ancient Town, the epitome of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century.

Step back centuries in time as you enter the Hoi An Ancient Town, the epitome of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. The charming area at the mouth of the Thu Bon River is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for being 'an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Asian trading port', and 'an outstanding material manifestation of the fusion of cultures over time in an international commercial port'.

The Ancient Town has retained its layout with organically developed street plans, old canals, and traditional wooden architecture over the centuries. Explore the compact area on foot to see the 1107 timber frame buildings with brick or wooden walls including heritage homes, wooden shop-houses, Chinese temples, assembly halls, Japanese Bridge, pagodas, and French colonial houses. Tickets are required to enter any of the 22 attractions in the area, and are sold at various points. Each ticket (VND 120,000) has 5 coupons allowing entry to any 5 places.

Highlights of the Ancient Town are –

• Old Houses - Built by wealthy merchants, the residential quarters lie behind narrow shopfronts. Though the houses are still occupied by the merchants' descendants, they are open to tourists as house-museums.
  • Tan Ky House - Built in the late 18th century, the 2-storey home is one of the best-kept houses. Though it is owned by a Vietnamese family, the architecture has Japanese and Chinese elements, such as Chinese inscriptions in mother-of-pearl hangings, and Japanese triple-beam structure representing heaven, earth and humans. The store-front on Ngueyen Thai Hoc Street is connected to the riverfront Bach Dang Street behind, which allowed for convenient transport of goods from boats. There are markers on the walls which indicate high flooding levels in the past.
  • Duc An - It was once a Chinese traditional medicine shop, and then a bookstore in the early 20th century where intellectuals and independence movement leaders congregated. The traditional medicine cabinets can still be seen in the store area. Behind the shopfront is the central courtyard, around which is the work place, with the living quarters on the upper level.
  • Quan Thang - Built by a Chinese merchant in the late 17th century, it is one of the oldest houses in Hoi An. Of note are the mosaics of Chinese porcelain around the inner courtyard, and carvings of peacocks and flowers on the teak walls and ceilings.
  • Phung Hung - Built in the early 19th century as a trading shop for spices, chinaware and glass, Phung Hung is a traditional 2-storey wooden house with a high covered atrium, and workshop on the first floor where seamstresses create embroidery work. It has a lot of woodwork carved by carpenters from the Kim Bong Village.
  • Diep Dong Nguyen House - Built for wealthy Chinese merchant Diep Dong Xuan in the late 19th century, this old house has a front room that was once a dispensary for thuoc bac (Chinese medicine), and later a shop selling jewellery, ceramics, and books. The upper floor displays the owner’s private collection of antiques including photographs, porcelain and furniture.
• Assembly Halls - Built by Chinese immigrants as social gathering spots for celebrating festivals, the hoi quan or assembly halls have similar and typical Chinese architecture. Ornate gates lead to a central courtyard with ornate fountains, surrounded by the main hall and temple. On full moon nights, the complex is lit with hundreds of tiny candles and incense spirals hanging from the ceiling.
  • Quang Dong at 176 Tran Phu Street is the Cantonese Assembly Hall, built in 1885.
  • Phuoc Kien Meeting Hall at 46 Tran Phu Street is the hall of the Fujian community who supported the Ming Dynasty against the Qings and fled here.
  • Trieu Chau at 157 Nguyen Duy Hieu is the Chinese All-Community Meeting Hall.
• Temples
  • The Quan Cong Temple is dedicated to its namesake Chinese general who is revered as a symbol of loyalty, integrity and justice. The central altar at the back of the main hall has a partially gilded statue of Quan Cong, flanked by ritual weapons and instruments.
  • The Chùa Pháp B?o is a new 20th century Buddhist temple, with statues of Shakyamuni, Amitabha Buddha, Maitreya Bodhisattva, and Avalokiteshvara.
  • The Cam Pho Temple is of uncertain origin.
• Landmarks
  • Japanese Bridge - This iconic covered bridge was built in the 17th century by the Japanese community to connect them with the Chinese neighborhood quarters. Connecting Tran Phu Street with Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, the 60 foot long bridge contains a shrine to Tran Vo Bac De, the Taoist god of natural calamities and weather. The entrances to the bridge are guarded by statues of a pair of monkeys on one side and a pair of dogs on the other, indicating that the construction of the bridge started in the Chinese year of the monkey and was completed in the year of the dog. The stele is inscribed with the list of all Vietnamese and Chinese benefactors who restored the bridge, written in Chu Nho script. Access to the Bridge is free, but you require a ticket to visit the temple, which may not be worth it.
• Museums - The museums are dedicated to local history and culture, with a small collection of artifacts and basic displays. While entry to the Precious Heritage Museum is free, the rest require tickets.
  • The Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum displays photographs of Vietnamese people of diverse ethnic groups by French photographer Réhahn.
  • The Museum of Sa Huynh Culture is dedicated to the ancient culture that flourished between 1000 BC and 200 AD in modern-day central and southern Vietnam and Philippines. It showcases archaeological finds such as pottery from the 1st – 2nd centuries. The upper level has the Museum of the Revolution, which showcases war time artifacts.
  • The Museum of Folk Culture explores the traditional life and culture of Vietnamese villages through photographs, artifacts, and dioramas of rural scenes with odd plaster casts of Vietnamese peasants in costumes of different ethnic groups.
  • The Museum of Trade Ceramics presents a collection of 9th to 19th century Vietnamese pottery in a charming old house.
  • Hoi An Museum of History and Culture in the Quan Am pagoda exhibits artifacts spanning 2000 years of the town's history.
• Hoi An Handicraft Workshop gives you a peak into the work of skilled artisans creating embroidery patterns, silk lanterns, ceramics, wooden objects, silverware and jewellery. It presents folk music and dance performances every day except Monday.
• Hoi An Traditional Art Performance Theatre showcases traditional Vietnamese song and dance.

Take a ride on one of the several swan boats on the river, which have a giant swan rising from the bow. They ferry passengers around playing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', while the eyes of the swan light up at night.