Old Town Guide

For a culture packed dive into Hoi An’s history and to understand its multi-cultural roots, spend half a day to explore the old town’s most notable buildings.

Old Town Site Seeing Ticket

Everything person over the age of 16 (children go free) is recommended to buy ticket (VND120.000) to enter the old town, each ticket is valid for the duration of your stay. You may need to show it each time you enter, so keep it handy. The ticket has six tear-off coupons. One gives you access to traditional performance held daily (17:00) at the Folklore Museum. The others are for entrance to your choice of five of the 21 ticket-only sites in Old Town. A percentage of the ticket proceeds go directly back into Old Town renovations and paying the guides and families who open their private homes to visitors.

Assembly Halls

Recognisable by their Chinese architecture, the assembly halls generally feature ornate gates, main halls, altar rooms, and statues and murals in honour of god and goddesses. Four of Hoi An’s assembly halls – Fujian, Hainan, Cantonese, Chinese – are located on Tran Phu Street. Among them, the Fujian Hall (46 Tran Phu) is considered the most prominent. Built around 1960, it has bronze bells, drums, and statues on and is know for its red boat, a tribute to diety Thien Hau, who is believed to save sailors from stormy seas.

Beyond the fountain courtyard and ornate gate is the main hall with its altar – take note of the three fairies and 12 midwives; these symbols of fertility draw in childless couples from afar, who come to pray.

Houses

The old quarter is home to over a thousand ancient relics, including some beautifully preserved traders houses. The most popular is Tan Ky House (101 Nguyen Thai Hoc), a two storey family home dating back centuries, that fuses the impressive architectural styles of Chinese and Japanese. The wooden frame is carved with dragons, fruit and crossed sabres, the walls inlaid with mother-of-pearl depicting Chinese poetry and birds.

Japanese Bridge

Hoi An’s most celebrated icon was built in 1593 by Japanese merchants to connect the Japanese quarter with the Chinese neighborhood on the other side of the river. Legends surround the bridge, the most popular being that it was built to disable a disaster-causing dragon, with the small altar inside dedicated to the worship of Bac De Tran Vu. The northern God of wind and rain. The bridge is guarded by pair of spirit dogs on the Chinese side and two imperial monkeys on the west.

Museum

Of the town’s four museums, the most rewarding  (family and friendly) is  the Museum of Folk Culture (66 Bach Dang). Here you’ll find a kitschy display of folk art, photographs, flamboyant costume, some startling statues and ancient tools. Alongside the daily traditional theatrical displays, craft workshops are held at various times during the day.