Vietnam Royal Tourism

Hoi An Overview

The small town of Hoi An is the perfect place to break your journey midway through Vietnam. Located on the country’s magnificent central coast, this one-time trading port retains an old world ambience and a rich historical quality that resulted in its recent listing as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Let Vietnam Royal Tourism escort you through the narrow lanes and streets of the old town, lined with centuries old shophouses combining the influences of the many trading communities who visited Hoi An: French, Japanese, Chinese.

See the Japanese Covered Bridge, the gaudy interior of the Guangdong or Fukien Chinese Assembly Halls; take tea in an 18th Century home; jostle for space with the fish mongers in the lively riverside seafood market,; cycle out to Cua Dai Beach or take a sunset river cruise - these are all part of the unique Hoi An experience.

A highlight of any trip to Vietnam, Hoi An is a town oozing charm and history, having largely escaped the destruction of successive wars. Once a sleepy riverside village, it s now quite definitely a tourist town - with hotels, restaurants, bars, tailors and souvenir shop dominating the old centre. Despite this air of irreality, Hoi An's charisma pervades. The local People's Committee periodicallv clamps down on touts, and while this doesn't mean a completely hassle-free visit, a stroll down the street is usually more relaxed here than in Hue or Nha Trang. Hoi An is pedestrian friendly: the Old Town is closed to cars and the distances from the hotels to the centre are walkable. It's a great place to hire a bike, Known as Faifo to Western traders, from the 17th to 19th centuries it was one of Southeast Asia's major international ports. Vietnamese ships and sailors based here sailed all around Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Perhaps more than any other place in Vietnam, Hoi An retains a sense of history that envelops you as you explore it. This is especially true on 'Hoi An Legendary Night’. Every month on the full moon, motorbikes are banned from the Old Town, which is transformed into a magical land of silk lanterns, traditional food, song and dance, and games in the streets. Every year during the rainy season, particu-larly in October and November, Hoi An has problems with flooding, especially in areas close to the waterfront. The greatest flood ever recorded in Hoi An took place in 1964, when the water reached all the way up to the roof beams of the houses. In late 2006 the town bore the brunt of the worst typhoon in 50 years, although at the time of research repairs were well in hand. There's plenty So do in Hoi An. Emphati-cally the most enchanting place along the coast, this is one spot worth lingering in.

Sights & Activities

Hoi An Old Town

Now a Unesco World Heritage site. Hoi An Old Town is governed by preservation laws that are well up to speed. Several buildings of historical and cultural significance are open to; public viewing, a number of streets in the centre of town are off-limits to cars, and building alterations and height restrictions are well enforced. It only Hanoi would follow suit in its historic Old Quarter. The admission fee goes towards funding this conservation work. This ticket gives you a complicated choice of heritage attractions to visit. You can attend a traditional music show at the handicraft workshop, and one each of the four following types of attractions: museums; assembly halls; old houses; and other'. If you want to visit additional a tractions, then it is necessary to buy another ticket; there are ticket offices dotted around the centre. But for those who only want to buy one ticket, what are the best options' The most in foresting museum is that of Trading Ceramics mainly for the building it's housed in. Among the assembly halls, the Fujian folk probably have the edge. When it comes to old houses the Tran Family Chapel offers an interesting and informative tour. Finally there is that obscure 'other’ category; the shrine in the Japanese Bridge or Quan Cong Temple. Choose the temple: the Japanese Bridge ticket just gets you into a small shrine that is second-best to the bridge itself, which you can enjoy free. The system doesn't seem to be too well monitored, but hopefully the fees do get collected and end up as part of the restoration and preservation fund. Not all of HOI An's old houses and assembly halls require a ticket, and there's certainly nothing to stop anybody from wandering the old streets to admire the houses. Despite the number of tourists who conic to Hoi An, it is still a conservative town, and visitors should dress modestly when visiting the sites.

JAPANESE COVERED BRIDGE

This famed bridge (Cau Nhat Ban) the first bridge on this site was constructed in the 1590s. It was built by the Japanese com-munity of Hoi An in order to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream. The Japanese Covered Bridge is very solidly constructed; the original builders were concerned about the threat of earthquakes. Over the centuries the ornamentation has remained relatively faithful to the original Japanese design. Its understatement contrasts greatly with the Vietnamese and Chinese penchant for wild decoration. The French flattened out the road way to make it suitable for their motor vehicles, but the original arched shape was restored during major renovation work in 1986. Built into the northern side of the bridge is a small temple . The writing over its door is the name given to the bridge in 1719 to replace the name meaning Japanese Covered Bridge. However the new name, Lai Vien Kieu (Bridge for Passers-by from Afar), never quite caught on. According to legend, there once lived an enormous monster called Cu, who had its head in India, its tail in Japan and its body in Vietnam. Whenever the monster moved, terrible disasters such as floods and earthquakes befell Vietnam. This bridge was built on the monster's weakest point and killed it, but the people of Hoi An took pity on the slain monster and built this temple to pray for its soul. The entrances of the bridge are guarded by a pair of monkeys on one side and a pair of dogs on the other. According to one story, these animals were popularly revered because many of Japan s emperors were born in years of the dog and monkey. Another tale says that construction of the bridge started in the year of the monkey and was finished in the year of the dog. The stelae, listing all the Vietnamese and Chinese contributors to a subsequent restoration of the bridge, are written in chu nho (Chinese characters) - the nom script had not yet become popular in these parts.

MUSEUMS

Showcasing a collection of blue and white ceramics of the Dai Viet period, the Museum of Trading Ceramics occupies a simply restored house made of dark wood. In particular. check out the great ceramic mosaic that's set above tlie pond in the inner courtyard. Housed in the Quan Am Pagoda the Hoi An Museum of History & Culture has a small collection of bronze temple bells, gongs and Cham artefacts. Artefacts from the early Dong Son civilisa tion of Sa Huynh are displayed downstairs at the Museum of Sa Huynh Culture & Museum of the Revolution . Upstairs, the Revolution museum has the usual collection of local photos and mementos of the last two wars, including a boat used to transport cadres. It would be more accessible if full English captions were provided

ASSEMBLY HALLS

Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese

Founded as a place to hold community meetings, this assembly hall was later trans-formed into a temple for the worship of Thien Hau, a deity from Fujian province.The triple gate to the complex was built in 1975. The mural on the right-hand wall near the entrance to the main hall depicts Thien Hau, her way lit by lantern light as she crosses a stormy sea to rescue a foundering ship. On the wall opposite is a mural of the heads of the six Fujian families who fled from China to Hoi An in the 17th century, following the overthrow of the Ming dynasty. The penultimate chamber contains a statue of Thien Hau. To either side of the entrance stand red-skinned Thuan Phong Nhi and green-skinned Thien Iy Nhan. When cither sees or hears sailors in distress, they inform Thien Hau, who sets off to effect a rescue The replica of a Chinese boat along the right hand wall is 1:20 scale. The central altar in the last chamber contains seated figures of the heads of the six Fujian families. The smaller figures below them represent their successors as clan leaders. Behind the altar on the left is the God of Prosperity. On the right are three fairies and smaller figures representing the 12 ba mu (midwives), each of whom teaches newborns a different skill necessary for the first year of life: smiling, sucking, lying on their stomachs and so forth. Childless couples often come here to pray for offspring. The three groups of figures in this chamber represent the ele- ments most central to Chinese life; ancestors, children and financial wellbeing. The middle altar of the room to the right of the courtyard commemorates deceased leaders of the Fujian congregation. On either side are lists of contributors - women on the left and men on the right. The wall panels represent the four seasons. The Fujian assembly hai1 is fairly well lit and can be visited after dark. Shoes shouId be removed upon mounting the platform just past the naves.

Assembly Hall of the Cantonese Chinese Congregation

Founded in 1786, this assembly hall has a main altar that is dedicated to Quan Cong, Note the long-handled brass fans to either side of the altar. The lintel and door posts of the main entrance and a number of the columns supporting the roof are made of single blocks of granite. The other columns were carved out of the durable wood of the jackfruit tree. There are intricate carvings on the wooden beams that support the roof in front of the main entrance.

Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation

The Chaozhou Chinese in Hoi An built their congregational hall in 1776. Some outstanding woodcarvings are on the beams, walls and altar. On the doors in front of the altar are carvings of two Chinese girls wearing their hair in a Japanese style

Chinese All-Community Assembly Hall

Founded in 1773, the Chinese All-Community Assembly Hall was used by Fujian, Cantonese, Hainan. Chaozhou and Hakka congregations in Hoi An. The pavilions off the main courtyard in corporate elements of 19th-century French architecture.

Assembly Hall of the Hainan Chinese Congregation

Built in 1851, this assembly hall is a memorial to 108 merchants from Hainan Island who were mistaken for pirates and killed in Quang Nan) province during the reign of Emperor Tu Duc. The elaborate dais contains plaques to the r memory. In front of the central altar is a fine gilded woodcarving of Chinese court life.

Tan Ky House

Built two centuries ago as the home of a well-to-do ethnic-Vietnamese merchant. Tan Ky House has been lovingly preserved and today looks almost exactly as it did in the early 19th century. The design of Tan Ky House shows some evidence of the Japanese and Chinese influence on local architecture. Japanese elements include the ceiling (in the area immediately before the courtyard), which is supported by three progressively shorter beams, one on top of the other. There are similar beams in the salon. Under the crab-shell ceiling there are carvings of crossed sabres wrapped in silk ribbon. The sabres symbolise force, the silk represents flexibility. Chinese poems written in inlaid mother of pearl are hung from a number of the column that hold up the roof. The Chinese character on these 150-year-old panels are formed entirely of birds gracefully portrayed in various positions of flight. The courtyard here has several functions to let in light, provide ventilation, bring a glimpse of nature into the home, and collect rainwater and provide drainage. The stone tiles covering the patio floor were brought from Thanh Hoa province in north-central Vietnam. The carved wooden balcony supports around the courtyard are decorated with grape leaves, which are a European import and further evidence of the unique blending of cultures that took place in Hoi An The back of the house faces the river. In the past, this section of the building was rented out to foreign merchants. That the house was a place of commerce as well as a residence is indicated by the two pulleys attached to a beam in the storage loft just inside the front door. The exterior of the roof is made of tiles; inside, the ceiling consists of wood. This design keeps the house cool in summer and warm in winter. The floor tiles were brought from near Hanoi. Tan Ky House is a private home; the owner, whose family has lived here for seven generations, speaks fluent French and English.

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