In the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An was a small scale trading port in Southern Vietnam. The town traded widely, both with the countries of East Asia and with the rest of the world. Traders who came, set up their stores and quarters within Hoi An for permanent habitation.
The old town has many well-preserved buildings that reflects both indigenous and foreign cultures, especially Chinese, Japanese and later European. These places include houses of prominent people, assembly halls, communal houses, shrines, temples, bridge, market and wharf.
Hoi An was included in UNESCO World Heritage list in 1999. No motorised vehicles are now allowed within the designated ancient town area. Many of the old houses had been converted into stores, cafes, restaurants and some into museums.
One of the highlights of visiting Hoi An is to explore the insides of some of these places. We bought a ticket for the ancient town with 5 coupons that allows entry into 5 historical places of our choice. This ticket is sold in the ticket office next to the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge, one of the “must see” place. The ticket with the coupons can be used over a few days, so there is no rush to see all within the same day.
These are some of the best places to visit with the coupons. It included the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge, two of the best assembly halls and two old houses.
1. Japanese Covered bridge
The early 17th century, the Japanese built the bridge over a stream that fed into the Thu Bon River in order to create a link with the Chinese quarters across the stream. The bridge was constructed with a roof so that it could be used as a shelter from both rain and sun. The Japanese Covered Bridge is a unique and beloved symbol of Hoi An.
Photo of the bridge in the early 20th Century.
The two entrances of the bridge are guarded by a pair of Monkey statues at one end and a pair of Dog statues at the other. These two animals are symbols of sacredness in Japanese culture. It is believed that the construction of the bridge was initiated in the Asian zodiac’s Year of the Dog and was finished in the Year of the Monkey, hence the two animals.
The bridge is restored by the Chinese and Vietnamese in the later centuries and a small temple is built in the centre of the bridge, dedicated to the Northern God Bac De Tran Vo. This God is considered the God of Weather.
Small temple in the centre of the bridge, dedicated to the Northern God Bac De Tran Vo.
Another old photo of the bridge.
The end of the restored bridge looked different from that in the old photo above.
2. Quang Trieu (Canton) Assembly Hall
Out of the four assembly halls within Hoi An ancient town, the Quang Trieu (Canton) Assembly Hall is one of the most impressive. It is located near to the Japanese Covered Bridge.
It was built in 1885 by Chinese who came from Guangdong, the Canton province of China. In the early days, the house was dedicated to Thien Hau (Goddess of the Sea), then to Quan Cong, and then to the sages who came from Guangdong. The assembly hall was a place for Chinese fishermen and traders to rest, interact and trade goods. In the old days, there was a wharf at the front of the house.
A fountain that features a dragon in the courtyard in the Quang Trieu (Canton) Assembly Hall.
Dragon is a regular theme in this place. In the middle of the courtyard, there is a stone dragon and carp sculpture. Golden dragons encircled red pillars in a sitting area by the side and dragons are also found in the roof decorations. The courtyard provides some shade away from Hoi An’s hot weather. It was a good place to take a rest while taking in the visual treats inside this impressive place.
Pillars with encircling golden dragons on one side of the courtyard.
Resting in the shade of the assembly hall.
Painting of the “The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea” – a Chinese myth and legend. Spirals of red incense hung from the ceiling.
There is a large garden at the rear with a large wall mural of General Quan Cong. More statues of dragons covered in pottery and also statues of a family of goats could be found in the back garden.
Mural with Chinese General Quan Cong on a horse at the garden in the rear of the assembly hall.
Colourful mosaic on the floor of the Quang Trieu (Canton) Assembly Hall in Hoi An ancient town.
Colourful painted door gods as viewed from inside the hall, looking out.
3. Phuc Kien (Fujian) Assembly Hall
Further down the street from the Japanese Bridge, the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, located at 46 Tran Phu Street, was founded in 1690 and served the largest Chinese ethnic group in Hoi An (the Fujian).
Entrance to the Phuc Kien (Fujian) Assembly Hall
Steps leading to the grand entrance reminded me of the steps leading to imperial Chinese palaces.
The Phuc Kien (Fujian) Assembly Hall is also a place of worship, with many altars and spiral incense hanging from the ceiling.
The Assembly Hall is in fact a temple that holds Mazu, the Chinese Goddess of the Sea that protects sailors and fishermen. Mazu is flanked by the deity Thuan Phong Nhi (Chinese: 順風耳 Shunfeng Er), who is able to hear the distress calls of ships even a thousand miles away, and the deity Thien Ly Nhan (Chinese: 千里眼, Qianli Yan), who is able to see these distant ships.
Sea Goddess Mazu with flat-topped imperial cap with hanging beads at the front and back, flanked by the deities Thuan Phong Nhi and Thien Ly Nhan. Mazu is also known as Thien Hau Holy Mother to the Cantonese.
A wall painting depicting the scene of six generals of the Ming Dynasty who came from Fujian Province.
A wall painting depicting the scene of six generals of the Ming Dynasty who came from Phuc Kien (Fujian) Province, riding horses and leading to fight the Qing. But they were defeated and their offspring had to flee from China to Hoi An in the 17th century.
An altar dedicated to six generals of the Ming Dynasty who came from Phuc Kien Province.
There are many altars dedicated to the various gods and goddesses, like most Chinese temples.
It was relatively quiet during our visit. We were free to explore the hall and even rested on the antique wooden chairs.
Dragon sculpture in the Phuc Kien (Fujian) Assembly Hall with live goldfishes in water feature below.
4. Old House of Tan Ky
The Old House of Tan Ky is one of the most visited old houses in Hoi An. We were invited to sit on the old wooden furniture and offered small cups of tea while a host presented the history and architecture of the old house.
Seven generations of the same family lived in this house. This house is more like a museum, than a living quarter. This house reflected what it was like in the 18th century, when Hoi An was an important trading port and wealthy traders built such impressive houses. The house traded in agricultural products in the 18th century when boats came up the Thu Bon River.
Information board describing the architecture of the Tan Ky house.
This bed, made in 1878 belonged to a 3rd generation lady. Note the hard, rectangular pillow used in the old days.
An exquisite set of antique furniture in the Tan Ky House. We are not allowed to touch these prized masterpieces.
Exquisite craftsmanship using mother of pearl on the back of the chair. Batman would be proud of the bat symbol carved at the top of the chair’s back.
Another piece of furniture with bat symbolism.
Many of the carvings in furniture or wall dividers featured symbolism such as bats. The bat is a symbol of happiness and joy in Chinese culture. The Chinese for bat (fu 蝠) sounds identical to the word for good fortune(fu 福).
Our host also showed us a small Confucius cup in a display cabinet in the living room. It is a porcelain cup with a figure of a man in the middle. This special cup is designed such that it would function as a normal cup if filled up to the 80%. If the cup is overfilled above the 80% level, all the tea or water in the cup will drain away from a hole at the bottom, leaving you with nothing in the cup.
Confucius is a famous philosopher and teacher in Chinese culture. The philosophy behind this cup is that one must not be too greedy and try to gain everything. Live life in moderation or you will be left with emptiness.
I did a bit of research after my trip and learnt the physics behind this special cup. The figure of the man in the middle of the cup actually hid a small inverted U-tube that acts like a siphon once the cup gets filled above the 80% level. This type of cup was actually designed by Pythagoras, the Greek Mathematician who is more famous for his Pythagoras Theorem involving the equation for the right angle triangles. A Greek trader could have brought one of the Pythagoras cup with him to Hoi An.
There were interesting information and photos about the history of the old house and its occupants displayed. We learnt that the old house was built by Le Tan Ky, a poor orphan boy who later became very rich and very generous later.
The pillars in the living room had Chinese characters formed using birds icons, made with mother of pearl.
His descendents still lived in this house, on the second floor. The house is made of iron wood which is resistant to water and had withstood the yearly floods for hundreds of years. When the yearly flood occurs, the family would shift everything to the second floor till the flood subsides.
Photos of flooded Hoi An and flood water level over the past years.
There is a small showcase in the rear, next to the exit, that displays some artefacts such as flat irons and lime pots for betel nuts.
Old House of Duc An
As we entered the old house of Duc An, we saw many traditional medicine cabinets with many small drawers on the right side of the entrance. In the early twentieth century, the house was a Chinese medicine dispensary.
Like the Tan Ky house, this house is rather longish, with an opened courtyard in the middle for light and ventilation.
In the old days, the front part of the house before the courtyard is reserved for men and VIP only. Women and children are not allowed to sit or play in that area.
This is a house with nice old wooden furniture. We are free to sit on some of the old furniture which are elaborately carved.
Elaborately carved wooden chair, with marble seat and symbol of a bat at the top.
Wash basin and mirror in the courtyard of Duc An house. There is no faucet. Water is drawn from a well in the courtyard.
The family is still living in the rear and second storey of the house.
6. Quan Cong Temple
Outside the Quan Cong Temple in Hoi An ancient town.
This post is supposed to be about the 5 best places to visit using the Old Town coupons but I am mentioning 6 places.
An alternative to visiting the Duc An house would be to visit the Quan Cong Temple instead. This small temple is dedicated to Quan Cong, an esteemed Chinese general who is worshipped as a symbol of loyalty, sincerity, integrity and justice.
We did not go into the Quan Cong temple, since we had seen many similar temples in our home country. But others may find this temple interesting.
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