Sights in Hoi An
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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 for 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. If only Hanoi would follow suit in its historic Old Quarter.
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A
Quan Cong Temple
Founded in 1653, Quan Cong Temple is dedicated to Quan Cong - a highly esteemed Chinese general who is worshipped as a symbol of loyalty, sincerity, integrity and justice. His partially gilt statue, made of papier-mâché on a wooden frame, is in the central altar at the back of the sanctuary. On the left is a statue of General Chau Xuong, one of Quan Cong's guardians, striking a tough-guy pose.
On the right is the rather camp and plump administrative mandarin Quan Binh. The life-size white horse recalls a mount ridden by Quan Cong, until he was given a red horse of extraordinary endurance, representations of which are common in Chinese pagodas.
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Temple
Built into the northern side of the Japanese Covered Bridge is a small temple. According to legend, there once lived an enormous monster called Cu which had its head in India, its tail in Japan and its body in Vietnam. Whenever the monster moved, terrible disasters befell Vietnam. This bridge was built on the monster’s weakest point and killed it, but the people of Hoi An took pity and built this temple to pray for its soul. The writing over the temple door is the name given to the bridge in 1719: Lai Vien Kieu (Bridge for Passers-by from Afar). However it never quite caught on.
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Phuoc Lam Pagoda
This pagoda was founded in the mid-17th century. The head monk at the end of that century was An Thiem, a Vietnamese prodigy who became a monk at the age of eight. When he was 18, the king drafted An Thiem’s brothers into his army to put down a rebellion. An Thiem volunteered to take the places of the other men in his family and eventually rose to the rank of general. After the war he returned to monkhood, but felt guilty about the many people he had slain. To atone for his sins, he volunteered to clean the Hoi An market for 20 years, then joined this pagoda as its head monk.
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B
Diep Dong Nguyen House
Built for a Chinese merchant in the late 19th century is Diep Dong Nguyen House. The front room on the ground floor was once a dispensary for thuoc bac (Chinese medicine); the medicines were stored in the glass-enclosed cases lining the walls. The owner's private collection of antiques - which includes photographs, porcelain and furniture - is on display upstairs. Two of the chairs were once lent by the family to Emperor Bao Dai.
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C
Museum of Trading Ceramics
Museum of Trading Ceramics occupies a simply restored house made of dark wood. The artefacts are from all over Asia, with oddments from as far afield as Egypt. While this reveals that Hoi An had some rather impressive trading links, frankly it would take an expert eye to appreciate the display. However the small exhibition on the restoration of Hoi An’s old houses provides a useful crash course in Old Town architecture.
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D
Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation
Built in 1752, the highlight in this congregational hall is the gleaming woodcarvings on the beams, walls and altar – absolutely stunning in their intricacy. You could stand here for hours to unravel the stories, but if you’re just popping by quickly, look for the carvings on the doors in front of the altar of two Chinese women wearing their hair in an unexpectedly Japanese style.
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E
Tran Duong House
There’s a whole block of colonnaded French-colonial buildings on Ð Phan Boi Chau between Nos 22 and 73, among them the 19th-century Tran Duong House. It’s mainly a showcase of antique French and Chinese furniture, including a sideboard buffet and a sitting room set with elaborate mother-of-pearl inlay. By contrast, the large plain wooden table in the front room is the family bed.
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F
Quan Thang House
This house is three centuries old and was built by an ancestor who was a Chinese captain. As usual, the architecture includes Japanese and Chinese elements. There are some especially fine carvings of peacocks and flowers on the teak walls of the rooms around the courtyard, on the roof beams and under the crab-shell roof (in the salon beside the courtyard).
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G
Handicraft Workshop
Housed in the 200-year-old Chinese trading house, the Handicraft Workshop has artisans making silk lanterns and practising traditional embroidery in the back. In the front is your typical tourist-oriented cultural show (10.15am and 3.15pm) with traditional singers, dancers and musicians. It makes a sufficiently diverting break from sightseeing.
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Assembly Hall
Founded in 1773, this assembly hall was used by Fujian, Cantonese, Hainan, Chaozhou and Hakka congregations in Hoi An. To the right of the entrance are portraits of Chinese resistance heroes in Vietnam who died during WWII. The well-restored red temple is dedicated to Thien Hau and sits between pavilions adorned with French-style balustrades.
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Assembly Hall of the Hainan Chinese Congregation
Built in 1851, the Assembly Hall of the Hainan Chinese Congregation is a memorial to 107 merchants from Hainan Island who were mistaken for pirates and killed in Quang Nam province during the reign of Emperor Tu Duc. The elaborate dais contains plaques to their memory. In front of the central altar is a fine gilded woodcarving of Chinese court life.
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I
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. Don’t be spooked by the portrait of a stern-looking matriarch over the entry hall; this gem of a house is worth lingering in.
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Old Town
By Unesco fiat more than 800 historical buildings in Hoi An have been preserved, so much of the Old Town looks as it did several centuries ago, barring the ugly power lines and impatient motorbikes. There are restrictions on building alterations, building height and vehicle movement (no cars).
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J
Museum of Sa Huynh Culture & Museum of the Revolution
Museum of Sa Huynh Culture & Museum of the Revolution make odd bedfellows in the same building. The former (downstairs) has assorted fragments and burial jars dating from the early Dong Son civilisation of Sa Huynh. The latter (upstairs) focuses on local contributions to the last two wars.
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Japanese Covered Bridge
This bridge has become a modern-day icon of Hoi An, although most visitors are surprised by how small it is. The first bridge on this site was constructed in the 1590s by the Japanese community of Hoi An, in order to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream.
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Museum of Folklore in Hoi An
Museum of Folklore in Hoi An occupies a 150-year-old Chinese trading house. The exhibits give some idea of local customs and culture, though it’s awfully dusty and decontextualised for a folk history museum. The view of the river from upstairs is very picturesque.
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Chuc Thanh Pagoda
Founded in 1454 by a Buddhist monk from China, this pagoda is the oldest pagoda in Hoi An. Among the antique ritual objects still in use are several bells, a stone gong that is two centuries old and a carp-shaped wooden gong said to be even older.
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Phung Hung Old House
In a lane full of beautiful buildings, the old Phung Hung Old House stands out. It's still a family home, having housed eight generations over 226 years. At present it showcases hand embroidery and souvenirs; wander through and enjoy the ambience.
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N
Tran Family Chapel
This chapel was built for worshipping the family ancestors in 1802. It was built by Tran Tu, one of the clan who ascended to the rank of mandarin and served as an ambassador to China. His picture is to the right of the chapel.
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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 incorporate elements of 19th-century French architecture.
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Old House
Just a few steps down from the Japanese Covered Bridge, this old house has a wide, welcoming entrance hall decorated with exquisite lanterns, wall hangings and embroidery. There’s also an impressive suspended altar.
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Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation
What began as a traditional assembly hall was later transformed into a temple for the worship of Thien Hau, a deity from Fujian province. The grand triple gate to the complex was built in 1975.
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Hoi An Museum of History & Culture
Housed in the Quan Am Pagoda, the Hoi An Museum of History & Culture provides a sampling of pre-Cham, Cham and port-era artefacts, much of it ceramics.
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Phac Hat Pagoda
Phac Hat Pagoda has a colourful facade of ceramics and murals. It was being expanded at the time of research, with a large annexe being built at the rear.
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