Hoi An

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Travelled to Hoi An on the way back from Hanoi on February 1. What a lovely ancient town. The Lonely Planet describes it a graceful and historic and "Vietnam's most atmospheric and delightful town." It reminds me of the ancient cities that we visited in China but there is a certain vitality that is uniquely Vietnamese and distinguishes Hoi An from any of the old cities like Ping Yao in China. The architecture is influenced by the French; the riverside setting brings a vitality to this city with the influx of tourists but everyone is on bicycles, including the tourists and there are shops and beautiful cloth and stunning sights everywhere. This was called the Silk City -- in the Old Town there remains the legacy of Japanese merchant houses. There are Chinese temples and ancient tea warehouses and wine bars and restaurants that offer Vietnamese cooking classes. Some of the sights include the Japanese Covered Bridge (Cau Nhat Ban) which was first constructed in the 1590s by the Japanese community to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream. it is a solidly constructed structure to protect it against the threat of earthquakes...the original arched shape of the bridge was restored in 1986 after the French had flattened out the roadway for automobiles earlier. The Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation (Phuc Kien Hoi Quan) was originally a traditional assembly hall but later transformed into a temple for the worship of Thien Hau (Tianhou) a deity from Fujian province. The mural on the right-hand wall depicts Thien Hau as her path is lit by lantern light as she crosses a storm sea to rescue a foundering ship. Opposite Thien Hau is a mural of the heads of the six Fujian families who fled from China to Hoi An in the 17th century. Tan Ky House is a historic home of an ethnically Vietnamese famly that has bee preserved through 7 generations. The architecture is influenced by Japanese and Chinese. The Japanese design includes the ceiling in the sitting area supported by 3 progressively shorter beams, one on top of the other. Under the crab-shell ceiling are carvings of crossed sabres wrapped in silk ribbon, The sabres symbolize force, the silk represents felxibility. (The LonelyPlanet). Quan Cong Temple: dates from 1653 and is dedicated to Quan Cong who was an esteemed Chinese general who is known for his loyalty, sincerity, integrity and justice. The chinese All Community Assembly Hall was founded in1773 and is ornate with great smoking incense spirals, demonic-looking deities, dragons and lashings of red lacquer. The Hall is dedicated to Thien Hau. The Museum of Trading Ceramics is housed in a simple restored wooden house and contains artifacts from all over Asia.

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