Teochew

Hoi An's Phuc Kien Assembly Hall (會安福建會館)

While planning my trip to Hoi An, the destinations that had me the most excited were the Overseas Chinese Assembly Halls situated throughout the historic quarter of the city. The hall that I anticipated visiting the most though was the amazingly beautiful Fujian Assembly Hall.

As one of the most popular tourist destinations in Hoi An, the average traveller would probably also enjoy this one as its one of the most historic of the bunch, its also the largest and most beautiful.

When it comes to this kind of thing though, I’m not the average tourist. 

Of course I respect that long history and its size but the main attraction for me was the relative familiarity that I could enjoy while visiting. Here in Taiwan, where I live, the Hokkien people make up a large part of the population and their culture, architecture and folk-religion have helped to shape Taiwan into the beautiful country that it is today. 

So, a visit to the Fujian Assembly Hall in Hoi An would give me the perfect opportunity to compare and contrast the experience of the immigrant Hokkien population in Vietnam to that of what I’m familiar with in Taiwan. What I looked forward to most though weren’t the similarities but the subtle differences and how the Hokkien immigrants adapted to their new home in Vietnam.

And hey, lets not forget the added bonus that not only is the Fujian Assembly Hall an important meeting place for the Hokkien people of Hoi An - It also serves as the “Mazu Temple” (會安天后宮) of Hoi An, making it a popular stop for all of the people around East Asia that worship the Goddess of the Sea. 

If you’d like to learn more about “Assembly Halls” before reading about this one, I recommend reading my earlier post about the Chinese Assembly Halls of Hoi An where I describe them in more detail.

Link: Chinese Assembly Halls of Hoi An (會安華人會館)

Phúc Kiến Assembly Hall (會安福建會館)

The Fujian Assembly Hall is the hands down the most popular, the largest, the most beautiful and the most historic of all the Overseas Chinese Assembly Halls in Hoi An. 

Given that Hoi An has become such a popular tourist destination, you’d think that you’d be able to find quite a bit of information about the hall online - Unfortunately that isn’t the case and a lot of the information that is available is unfortunately not all that accurate. 

I hope to clear some of that up here. 

The first thing you’ll want to know is that “Phúc Kiến” refers to “Fujian” (福建省), a coastal province in Southern China and the Assembly Hall was constructed by the immigrants who hailed from that specific area. Known as the “Hokkien” or the “Minnan” (閩南人), the people of Fujian speak their own distinct dialect and are well-known for their prowess when it comes to architectural design.

In fact, some of the most impressive Chinese-style architecture hails from the area and when many of us in the west think of ‘oriental’ design, what likely comes to mind is something that was constructed with Hokkien-style design.

With this particular hall, the Hokkien people brought their skills with them and constructed what is arguably one of the most beautiful buildings in the entire city.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the hall is its age. 

The area where the hall exists today was originally home to a Buddhist temple named the “Golden Mountain Temple” (金山寺) that was constructed by the local people in Hoi An. The temple was constructed around 1690 but after several decades of use, the temple became run down and the land was purchased by a group of Fujian immigrants who were doing business in Hoi An. 

After a period of renovation and a complete redesign of the exterior of the temple, the Fujian Assembly Hall reopened in 1759. With its Hokkien-style architecture, the Assembly Hall became not only one of the most beautiful buildings in Hoi An, but it was also one of the busiest thanks to the amount of Hokkien immigrants and of course, the success of the economy.

So no, the hall isn’t over 330 years old, its about 260 years old.

Still, thats pretty old, especially if you consider everything that has taken place in Vietnam over the past century.  

Design 

One of the things that makes this Assembly Hall stand out from the others around Hoi An is not only its long history but the amazing attention to detail in its traditional design - The people of Southern China, especially those from Fujian are known for their exceptional architectural design as well as the decorations placed throughout their homes and places of worship and that is something that stays true with this hall.  

Like all of the Assembly Halls in Hoi An, the Fujian Assembly Hall is designed with tradition in mind, but one of the things that makes this one stand out is its beautifully designed gate which is visible from the street.

The Assembly Hall consists of the following:  

  1. Main Gate (大門) - the gate that meets the street

  2. Courtyard (前院) - the area between the front gate and the middle gate. 

  3. Three-Arch Gate (三觀) - a beautifully decorated ‘Pailou Gate’ (牌樓). 

  4. Pond (水池) - an artificial pond in the courtyard in front of the Main Hall.

  5. Main Hall (正點) - The “Heavenly Goddess Temple” area. 

  6. East and West Halls (東西兩排屋子) - The areas reserved for community-related functions. 

  7. Rear Garden (後院) - A small garden between the front and rear hall. 

  8. Rear Hall (後殿) - The area reserved for ancestral worship. 

Once you’ve passed through the front gate, if you’re like most people, your eyes will automatically be drawn to the ornamental gate ahead of you. The three-arched gate, which is known as a “paifang” (牌坊), was constructed in traditional Southern-Chinese fashion and consists of a seven-layered roof that is beautifully decorated with ornamental dragons, lions and other mystical creatures. The gate was a later addition, which should be fairly obvious given how pretty it is.

I’m not confident about its age, but from what I found while doing research, it’s likely that this gate and the front gate were added sometimes around 1975 when the hall was undergoing a period of restoration.  

Above the doors you’ll find a beautifully designed plaque with the Chinese characters for “Fujian Assembly Hall” (福建會館) crafted using (a variation on) the ancient Chinese Seal Script (篆書). Just above the plaque is an open space where there is a dragon’s head with the sun in its mouth. On both the left and right you’ll also find statues of men holding the Chinese characters for “moon” (月) and “sun” (日) which form together to make “Yin” and “Yang” (陰陽) and a peaceful natural balance. 

One interesting thing that a lot of people people miss about the gate is that there is another plaque on both the top of the front side and the back side of the gate. On the front you’ll find the Chinese characters for “Golden Mountain Temple” (金山寺) while on the opposite side you’ll find the characters for “Heavenly Goddess Temple” (天后宮), which is a nod to the past and present of this Assembly Hall. 

Once you’ve passed through the gate, you’ll find yourself within the inner courtyard of the Assembly Hall.

This courtyard has quite a bit of potential, especially if they filled it with tropical flowers or plants, but when I visited I found that it was unfortunately run down and in need of some attention. There are however quite a few cute stray dogs that hang out and they’re quite friendly, so that was enough for me. 

When you reach the entrance of the main hall, it’s important to stop and take a moment to appreciate the architecture of the more than 250 year old facade of the building. Constructed in the traditional Hokkien style, you’ll notice that it is beautifully decorated with porcelain carvings (剪瓷雕) featuring dragons, phoenixes, turtles, fish, etc.

Even though some of the decorations on the roof have faded with age, the carvings on the lower section have recently been repainted.

One of the most prominent features of Hokkien architectural design is the “Swallowtail Roof” (燕尾脊), which has an upward-curved ridge, shaped like the tail of a swallow (a kind of bird). In the case of this Assembly Hall, the ridge is split into two separate tiers with the lower section curving at a much higher degree than the upper section. 

Most of the Assembly Halls you’ll find in Hoi An follow a similar formula in terms of the roof design, but that shouldn’t surprise you as the Hokkien style spread throughout Southern China. The thing that differentiates the hall from others in town though are (in part) thanks to the decorations that you’ll find on the roof. This may seem like a minor difference to the untrained eye, but is actually an important distinction in terms of the different cultures.

I should warn you that one of the things that you’re going to notice as you walk into the main hall are the giant incense coils hanging from the ceiling. The incense, which is locally made in Hoi An is quite fragrant, but if you’re sensitive to this kind of thing, you might feel a little uncomfortable. Fortunately there is an open-air roof, so the smoke shouldn’t be too overpowering.

Once inside you’ll notice that the “Assembly Hall” sections of the building are situated on the eastern and western sides while directly in front of you is main attraction, the “Heavenly Goddess Temple.” 

During my visit, the people at the hall were getting ready for the annual “Tet” Lunar New Year holiday, so part of the Assembly Hall area was used for food donations for those less fortunate. They had massive stacks with bags of rice and other types of food that were donated by locals.

There is also an administration area where the people who run the building hang out, drink tea, watch tv and chat with friends. The majority of the “Assembly Hall space though is empty and used for storage for the massive coils of incense that are constantly being lit.

Tian Hou Temple (天后宮) 

Even though this is considered the “Fujian Assembly Hall”, the actual “assembly” part of the building is almost completely overshadowed by the “Heavenly Goddess Temple” (天后宮).

If you weren’t already aware, the “goddess” refers to the immensely popular Hokkien goddess Mazu (媽祖), who is known as “Thien Hau” (天后) in Vietnam.

Here in Taiwan there more than three-thousand temples dedicated to Mazu, the goddess of the sea. Her worship though has spread throughout the world and you’ll find temples dedicated to her throughout China, Japan, South East Asia and anywhere the Hokkien people have immigrated.

It would be an understatement to say that Mazu worship is a huge thing here in Taiwan, but in Vietnam it is something that has transcended cultural traditions, so even though its part of a regional Chinese folk-religion, you’ll still find Vietnamese showing up to the temple to show their respect to the goddess. 

Link: Mazu (媽祖)  

NOTE: It’s important to remember that in some of the literature that you’ll find about this Assembly Hall is that the temple inside is full of “Buddha” statues. While that’s not entirely false (there’s a statue of Guanyin), Mazu, her guardians and the other deities within are a harmonious blend of Chinese folk-religion, Buddhist and Taoist traditions. As the temple is primarily dedicated to Mazu, it is primarily a Chinese folk-religion place of worship and not Buddhist.  

As is tradition, accompanying the goddess you’ll find her two guardian demon friends “Thousand Mile Eye” (千里眼) and “Wind-Following Ear” (順風耳) who are known in Vietnam respectively as “Thien Ly Nhan” and “Thuan Phong Nhi” in Vietnam.

Yes, I realize that their names are direct translations from Chinese, but the green-skinned ‘Thousand-Mile Eye’ keeps his eyes open for danger while the red-skinned ‘Wind-Following Ear’ is always listening. The names are helpful for differentiating them as well as helping people remember what their abilities are.

Together with the Goddess of the Sea, the three deities help to protect people at sea, which obviously would have been especially important for the sea-faring traders going back and forth from China to Hoi An during Hoi An’s heyday as a major trading port.

Link: Qianliyan (千里眼) | Shunfeng’er (順風耳)

The Main Hall is also home to shrines to Guanyin (觀世音菩薩), the Buddha of Compassion as well as the Taoist God of Wealth (財神). Most notably though, the hall is home to a shrine dedicated to the Goddess of Fertility (註生娘娘) and her Twelve Midwives (十二婆姐). This is significant because the temple has become a popular stop for local couples who are having trouble giving birth as well as those who are looking for blessings during their pregnancy.

If you visit, make sure to note the offerings of fruit left by couples - which ironically more often outnumber the offerings left at the main shrine for Thien Hau. 

Accompanying the main shrine is a separate shrine in a room off to the side where you’ll find statues of the heads of the original six families who immigrated from Fujian and helped construct the Assembly Hall. You’ll also find ‘Spirit Tablets’ (牌位) dedicated to the generations of people who have lived in Hoi An since then. 

Link: Spirit Tablets (神位)

Interestingly in Vietnam there is a subset of the Oversea Chinese community known as the “Minh Hương” (明鄉) who were people who fled China and settled in Vietnam when the Ming Dynasty (明朝) in China was toppled by the Manchu’s. The six statues of the people who founded the Assembly Hall were a part of this group, so if you pay attention you’ll see the Chinese characters above on some of the spirit tablets. The Minh Huong, who are know considered Vietnamese and not ethnic-Chinese coincidentally have their own Assembly Hall, but as some of the first settlers in the Hoi An area, their history and their presence permeates throughout town.

Link: Minh Hương (明鄉) | Minh Huong Communal Hall (Coming Soon)

Even though Vietnam is home to two “official” Heavenly Goddess Temples, this spiritual space set up within the Fujian Assembly Hall (that goes by the same name) has been an important place of worship for the Hokkien immigrants who have settled in Hoi An, helping them to not only keep their cultural traditions alive in the Assembly Hall but their religious practices as well.

The Phúc Kiến Assembly Hall is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Hoi An, so if you’re in the area, this is a must-visit destination. It’s unfortunate that there isn’t much information available in English to explain the history and significance of what you’ll find inside the hall. I hope that this article helps travelers understand a little more of what you’ll see when you visit this beautiful location.  

Getting There

 

Hoi An is a coastal town in Vietnam’s central Quang Nam province that is a 30km drive southeast of neighbouring Da Nang City (峴港市). Since Hoi An has become such a popular destination for travellers, getting to the historic town from Da Nang is quite convenient. Whether you arrive by air through Da Nang International Airport, by train through Da Nang Station or by coach, you’ll be able to easily get yourself to Hoi An through public or private transport, all of which are quite affordable. 

While staying in Vietnam, you should also download the “Grab” app for your phone so that you can easily grab a taxi during your travels without having to worry about a language barrier or getting cheated. 

Link: Transportation Guide: How to Get from Da Nang to Hoi An

Once you’ve arrived in Hoi An, getting around is really easy - just walk everywhere! 

The ‘Old Town’ area of Hoi An that has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site isn’t all that big, and due to so much pedestrian traffic, they’ve blocked the area off from cars, so unless you’re riding a bicycle or a scooter, the best way to get around is on foot. 

When you’re ready to start exploring you’ll find that the majority of historic properties, temples, museums and restaurants are located on or between the riverside and Tran Phu Street. What you’ll want to keep in mind though is that exploring the historic properties of Old Town isn’t free, so you’re going to have to purchase an entrance ticket. 

The entrance tickets are 120,000 VND (5 USD) per person and gives you access to five sightseeing places. The tickets are valid for the duration of your stay, so if you don’t use all of the tickets on your first day, you’ll still be able to use what you have remaining on the next day.

With so many places to visit within the Old Town though, five tickets might not be enough, so you might have to purchase a second set of tickets if you want to fully experience the town. 

Link: Hoi An Old Town Ticket, Entrance Fees & Sites (Hidden Hoi An

Conveniently, as I mentioned above, quite a few of the destinations that you’ll want to visit with Hoi Ann’s Old Town are situated along the stretch of Tran Phu Street. The Fujian Assembly Hall just so happens to be an unmissable part of the street thanks to its grand front gate, its massive size and how different it looks compared to everything else along the street.

Like the Chaozhou Assembly Hall, the Fujian Assembly Hall is located somewhat on the outskirts of the main drag of the old district and is a bit of a distance from other popular destinations like the Japanese Covered Bridge. Still, the pedestrian tourist area of Hoi An isn’t that large, so you won’t have any problem walking back and forth from wherever you plan on visiting.

There are two ticket stalls nearby the Fujian Assembly Hall where you can purchase your tourist pass. The hall is also located nearby the Hoi An Market where you’ll be able to purchase food and drinks. Likewise, the world-renowned (thanks to Anthony Bourdain) Bánh Mì Phượng is a short walk away from the hall. If you’re visiting Hoi An, you’ll definitely not want to miss either the Fujian Assembly Hall or the Banh Mi, so make sure to stop at both! 

Address: 46 Trần Phú, Cẩm Châu, Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam

The hall is open from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm daily. 


Hoi An's Trieu Chau Assembly Hall (會安潮州會館)

Having arrived in Hoi An on a beautiful Saturday evening, I was feeling a bit ambivalent about my situation after a harrowing forty-minute drive from Da Nang Airport. Our driver beeped his horn at every moving object and weaved in and out of traffic like we were the only people on the road. I didn’t really know what to think about what I was seeing as the area where we were staying looking nothing like the picturesque photos I saw online. 

After having something to eat, we decided to take a bike ride into town to check out Hoi An at night. 

Halfway through our ride though, the bicycle one of my travel partners was riding decided to up and die. We figured we could find a place to get it repaired, but it was late and the further we walked, the worse the problem became.

So, instead of checking out the view, I decided to just pick the bike up from the back and wheel it back to our hotel.

This is where I learned a valuable lesson about Vietnam, which is one that I’m sure that almost every traveller who visits the country discovers in their own way.

After walking for about ten minutes, a group of local guys riding around on their motorcycles noticed we were having problems and stopped to ask if they could help. They look at the bike to see if they could fix it, had a laugh and chatted back and forth in Vietnamese before deciding to offer to take us back to our hotel. 

Intrigued, I questioned how we’d manage to carry the bike back and after about a minute or two with a lot of hand gestures, they showed us how. 

I picked up the bike, sat on the back of a motorcycle with the bicycle between myself and the driver with my feet dangling and they safely drove me back to our hotel while my travel partners road their bikes alongside.

When we arrived at our hotel, we thanked them and they said: “Have a great time in Vietnam!“

This was my first lesson in Vietnamese hospitality, but certainly not the last. 

The next day we woke up early, had breakfast, grabbed our freshly repaired bikes and set off. 

I was fully aware that Hoi An was going to be a great time, and knew beforehand that the historic UNESCO World Heritage Part of the town was full of tourist destinations that would be of particular interest to a nerd like me, but I don’t think I was actually aware of how great this short trip was going to be. 

So, as we rode our bikes along the main stretch into town, I was enjoying all the things I was seeing, but when we came upon the Chaozhou Assembly Hall, I slammed the brakes on my bike and announced to my partners that it was time to stop to check something out. 

They protested - This one wasn’t on our list of places that we planned to visit.

I insisted though. 

From the outside, the Chaozhou Assembly Hall was beautiful and was glowing in the bright morning light.

Tourists were passing by in droves and like my partners, it didn’t seem like many people really wanted to stop by to check it out.

I wasn’t deterred though. I knew that there were only five of these Chinese Assembly Halls in Hoi An and even though this one wasn’t a major tourist destination, I figured I couldn’t leave town without checking them all out. 

So, we parked out bikes at the front gate and walked in. 

Before I start talking about the Chaozhou Assembly Hall, I think its probably important to remind you that if you haven’t already and are unaware of the purpose of these “Assembly Halls”, you should take a few moments to read my introduction to them:

Link: The Chinese Assembly Halls of Hoi An (會安華人會館)

Trieu Chau Assembly Hall (潮州會館) 

The “Trieu Châu Assembly Hall”, otherwise known as the “Chaozhou Assembly Hall” was constructed in 1845 by an association of immigrants hailing from the Chaozhou (潮州) region of China’s southern Guangdong Province (廣東省). 

The people of Chaozhou, known as the “Teochew” (潮州人) have a cultural history that dates back almost two thousand years and are one of the three major ethnic groups in the Guangdong region of China, which also includes the Cantonese (廣東人) and the Hakka (客家人). 

The Teochew language, “Teo-Swa Min” (潮州話), which has been simplified in English as the “Teochew Dialect” is today spoken all over the world thanks to the maritime prowess of the Teochew people, who have left their home for business purposes as well as to escape persecution and famine. 

As one of the largest groups within the Chinese diaspora, the Teochew have spread throughout the world, but particularly in South East Asia where they number in the millions. In Vietnam there is a saying: “Dưới sông cá chốt trên bờ Triều Châu“ which loosely means that there are about as many Teochew people in Vietnam as there are fish in the sea.

Unfortunately, after the Communists took control of Vietnam, the “Hoa people” (people of Chinese ethnicity) were one of the groups tagged by the new regime which created another mass migration with many choosing to flee the country becoming known as “boat people.”

Of the one million people of Chinese ancestry still living in Vietnam today, the Teochew account for around 40% of the total population - second only to the Cantonese. With this in mind, you’d think that the Teochew Assembly Hall would be one of the largest and most beautiful of all the halls in Hoi An - this however isn’t the case. 

Link: Teochew People (Wiki) 

The Teochew Assembly Hall is located on the outskirts of the historic district, modest in size and admittedly in need of repair. It is however quite beautiful and even though it is not as popular some of the other destinations in Hoi An, it has a storied history, traditional architecture and is quite peaceful in comparison to some of the other halls as it is not full of tourists. 

Design

The design of the hall is somewhat of a variation of designs based on the traditional ‘Siheyuan’ (四合院) style of home with the ‘two-hall and two-protective dragon’ (兩殿兩護室) style of temple.

What this means is that the building is essentially a mixture on a home and place of worship

The hall consists of the following:

  1. Front Gate (大門)

  2. Courtyard (前埕)

  3. Front Hall (前殿)

  4. Eastern and Western Wings (護龍室)

  5. Open-Air Courtyard (埕)

  6. Main Hall (正殿)

The front gate which faces the road opens up to a narrow courtyard where you’ll find some trees and the front entrance. There isn’t really much to see in the courtyard and it seems like quite a few locals use it as a parking space for their scooters.

The exterior of the Front Hall is beautifully designed and features a Southern Chinese style Swallowtail Roof (燕尾脊) with some pretty designs on each of the tips of the roof. There are also a couple of wood-carved circular murals of dragons on both the left and right of the main entrance, which are just a taste of some of the woodwork you’ll see inside.

Once you’ve entered the building you’ll notice that directly in front is the open-air courtyard with the co-called ‘protective dragons’ (護龍) on the east and west sides and the main hall (正殿). The design is enclosed on all four sides and as is tradition forms the Chinese character ‘huí’ (回), which is auspicious in terms of Feng Shui.

There’s not actually much to see in the courtyard, but they have some plants on each of the corners with an incense urn in the middle.

One of the major variations in the design of a typical ‘Siheyuan’ or ‘Ancestral Temple’ is that the two wings on the east and west are considerably larger with each side performing a specific function. The western side consists of a large open room with two small shrine rooms on either end.

The shrine rooms on this side are used for ancestral worship and giving appreciation to the people who helped construct the hall. This is an important space for the descendants of the Teochew community to come for worshipping their ancestors as well as a space for worshipping specific Teochew heroes who helped to develop the community.

The large open space on the eastern side is where meetings are typically held so you’ll find quite a few tables and chairs. The western side has a more formal meeting space where there’s a large table, chairs and a mural with a beautiful Chinese character for “longevity” (壽) on it.

The main attraction of the hall for most people though is probably the shrine room in the main hall.

The interior of the hall is beautifully decorated and features three separate shrines. 

The main shrine (the one in the middle) is dedicated to “Phuc Ba” (伏波將軍) with the God of Wealth (財神) and the “God of Luck” to the left and the right.

This however is where some of the literature you’ll find about the Assembly Hall on other sites becomes a bit confusing - The “God of Wealth” who is known as “Thần Tài” (財神老爺) in Vietnam is actually an apt description, but the “God of Luck” is a bit misleading as it is actually “Phước Đức” (福德老爺), otherwise known as the “Earth God” or the “Land God”, one of Chinese Folk-Religion’s most popular deities.

Link: Tudigong (Wiki)

The reason for the mix up in English translation is likely due to the fact that the Earth God’s name in Chinese has the character “fú” (福) which is an auspicious and ‘lucky’ word.

Phuc Ba Shrine

Phuc Ba, who is known as the “Water God” is thought to have control over the wind and waves.

He is somewhat of an obscure folk-religion deity from China, where he is known as “General Fubo” or “General Ma Yuan” (馬援將軍). General Ma is one of Chinese history’s most revered military leaders and is remembered not only for his victories in battle but also his perseverance and the respect that he showed to his friends and all of those under his command.

Link: General Ma Yuan (Wiki)

Interestingly, in Vietnam he is known for his victory over the Trưng Sisters (Hai Bà Trưng), who are regarded as national heroes for their short-lived resistance movement against Chinese rule. Today there are temples dedicated to them all over Vietnam and an annual holiday in February that commemorates their deaths.

Maybe its just me, but it seems strange (and rather bold) that you can find a Chinese shrine in Vietnam dedicated to the man who (allegedly) decapitated two of their most revered national heroes.

I hope I’m not letting the cat out of the bag here..

Intricate Teochew-style wood working in a window.

Once you’ve experienced the architectural design of all of Hoi An’s Assembly Halls, you’ll likely discover that most of them follow a same layout. What is different, especially with this particular hall is the lacquered boards, murals and exquisite wood carvings that you’ll find throughout the interior and exterior of the hall. 

If there is one thing that the people of Chaozhou are famous for when it comes to design, its their skill with woodcarving.

Teochew woodcarving (潮州木雕) is an art form that developed during the Tang Dynasty (唐朝) that is highly regarded for its precision, sophistication and lifelike sculptures. Teochew woodcarving is known for its depiction of phoenixes, dragons, flowers and sea life, so if you are visiting this Assembly Hall, you’ll want to pay special attention to the windows, doors, beams and roof for some of these beautiful designs. 

Link: Branching out: the breathtaking detail of Chaozhou woodcarving (GB Times)

Even though this Assembly Hall appears to be a bit run down, I can’t stress it enough, the beauty is in the details, so if you don’t pay close attention to all the small things, you’re going to miss out.

Getting There

 

Address: 157 Nguyen Duy Hieu Street

Hoi An is a coastal town in Vietnam’s central Quang Nam province that is a 30km drive southeast of neighbouring Da Nang City (峴港市). Since Hoi An has become such a popular destination for travellers, getting to the historic town from Da Nang is quite convenient. Whether you arrive by air through Da Nang International Airport, by train through Da Nang Station or by coach, you’ll be able to easily get yourself to Hoi An through public or private transport, all of which are quite affordable. 

While staying in Vietnam, you should also download the “Grab” app for your phone so that you can easily grab a taxi during your travels without having to worry about getting cheated. 

Link: Transportation Guide: How to Get from Da Nang to Hoi An

Once you’ve arrived in Hoi An, getting around is really easy - just walk everywhere! 

The ‘Old Town’ area of Hoi An that has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site isn’t all that big, and due to so much pedestrian traffic, they’ve blocked the area off from cars, so unless you’re riding a bicycle or a scooter, the best way to get around is on foot.

When you’re ready to start exploring you’ll find that the majority of historic properties, temples, museums and restaurants are located on or between the riverside and Tran Phu Street. What you’ll want to keep in mind though is that exploring the historic properties of Old Town isn’t free, so you’re going to have to purchase an entrance ticket.

The entrance tickets are 120,000 VND (5 USD) per person and gives you access to five sightseeing places. The tickets are valid for the duration of your stay, so if you don’t use all of the tickets on your first day, you’ll still be able to use what you have remaining on the next day.

With so many places to visit within the Old Town though, five tickets might not be enough, so you might have to purchase a second set of tickets if you want to fully experience the town. 

Link: Hoi An Old Town Ticket, Entrance Fees & Sites (Hidden Hoi An)

As I mentioned above, most of the places you’re going to want to see are located within a short distance of each other, but the Chaozhou Assembly Hall is outside of that downtown core, making it one of the quietest of all of the historic properties in Hoi An. 

The hall is located on “Nguyen Duy Hieu Street”, a short distance from where that street ends and becomes the much more popular Tran Phu Street. Don’t let the different street name fool you as they’re more or less the same road.

There is a ticket booth nearby where you can purchase tickets for the old town, so if you stayed outside of the old town, you can pick up your tickets and stop by. 

Even though the Chaozhou Assembly Hall isn’t as popular as some of the other historic properties, its still a great place to visit. The relative quiet you’ll experience while there should also allow you to better enjoy the skill and craftsmanship that went into constructing the building.  

The hall is open from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm daily.