Hoi An Things to Do

I was recentlt in Hoi An on my travels through Asia. I'd heard the shopping was great but this didn't appeal to me so i did a day motorbike trip into the mountains with Hoi An motorbike adventures. the day out was possibly one of the best days i had while traveling as i finally got away from all the other tourists and saw some of the most amazing scenery i have ever seen. Throughly reccommend these guys, on the money.

The tree-entrance gate opens onto Hoi An’s oldest, largest, most colourful and most complex Assembly Hall. Formerly used as an assembly point for community meetings by Fujian families who fled China in the 17th century following the overthrow of the Ming dynasty, Phuc Kien was later dedicated to Thien Hau, Goddess of the Sea.

The six Phuoc Kien ancestors and the God of Prosperity are worshipped on the central altar in the sanctuary behind the main one. The combination of Chinese style and Vietnamese workmanship provides for an architecturally unique construction with beautiful statues and artistic ornaments.

Open daily from 7am to 6pm.

On our first day in Hoi An we noticed a statue of a bearded man in the centre of Old Town. To our surprise we read that it was dedicated to a Polish man called Kazimierz Kwiatkowsk (aka Kazik in Vietnam). He came to Vietnam in 1980's to help restore Hoi An and My Son. He also promoted those sites as world heritage, which finally resulted in inscribing them on UNESCO World Heritage list.
Kwiatkowski died in Hue in 1997 and in 2007 the town of Hoi An in recognition of his work erected this statue.
Although I had never heard about Kazik before, in that moment I felt very proud that Hoi An honoured the Polishman.

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The entrance ticket to Hoi An attractions entitles you to attend one concert of traditional music or to visit an artisan workshop. We found out that concerts were given twice a day in an artisan shop in Nguyen Thai Hoc. So it's possible to combine two events at the same time.
We came to the shop about twenty minutes before the scheduled start of the concert, which turned out to be a good decision, as the room was filling up with tourists very quickly.
We enjoyed the show, especially the dances performed by a couple of charming young girls. The whole programme didn't last longer than half an hour, after which we visited the shop. I was especially impressed by colourful pictures embroidered by skillful artisans. We also watched wood carvers and lantern makers at work.

Of all the old houses that visitors can enter in Hoi An, we chose Tan Ky house; according to many sources the most interesting in Hoi An.
The house is inhabited by the sixth generation of Vietnamese family called Tan Ky. Their ancestors bought the house from Chinese merchants from Fujian province.
The house, similar to typical Vietnamese tube houses (narrow but long), is a bit wider, but has the same layout. In the front part there's a shop, then living room and an open courtyard, then bedroom and kitchen at the back. The kitchen faces the river.
Its design and decorations prove Chinese and Japanese influence on local architecture. The example of Japanese elements may be a crab-shell shaped ceiling. As for Chinese influence - look around for Chinese poems written in mother-of-pearl hanging from the columns.
Some of the family members will surely be there to serve tea to the guests and show them around. They will draw your attention to some marks showing the level of water brought about by floods. There was one year that the water almost reached the second floor.

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This assembly hall was built by the Chinese merchants from Fujian province. The triple entrance gate was added in 1975. The main temple is dedicated to Thieu Hau - a goddess of the sea. On her either side stand two other deities - one is red and the other green-skinned. They are said to inform Thien Hau if either of them sees or hears sailors in danger. Then the goddess hurries to rescue the men.
The temple is often visited by childless couples, as it houses as well the figures of the goddess of fertility, three fairies and twelve midwives, who are said to teach newborns such skills as sucking, smiling, etc.

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The Chinese who settled down in Hoi An came mainly from 5 southern provinces of China. The community of each province had their own assembly hall which played different functions. The halls served as temples, but also as meeting places where cultural identity of the community could be preserved.
Today they are excellent places to admire Chinese culture, perhaps even better than in China itself, where the years of communism left its destructive mark.
All assembly halls follow a similar pattern: a decorative entrance gate with colourful plaster bas-reliefs, central courtyard and meeting rooms on both sides and a temple at the back.
I loved red spiral incense hanging from the ceiling and burning slowly - the sign of time passing by.

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I wouldn't call this bridge beautiful, I wouldn't even call it pretty. But it is an unmistakable symbol of Hoi An.
It was built in the 17th century and used to link the quarters inhabited by the Chinese and Japanese communities. It's a covered bridge with a little temple inside (you can enter it with a ticket). On both ends of the bridge there are altars with its guardians. On one end there are two monkeys, on the other two dogs. Why? It is said that the construction of the bridge was started in the year of the monkey and finished in the year of the dog.