Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 876

according to their place of origin (Fujian,
Guangdong, Chaozhou or Hainan), and
each group maintained its own assembly
hall as both community centre and house
of worship. he most populous group
hails from Fujian, and their Phuoc Kien
Assembly Hall , at 46 Tran Phu (daily
7am-5.30pm), is an imposing edifice
with an ostentatious, triple-arched
gateway. he hall is dedicated to hien
Hau, Goddess of the Sea and protector
of sailors. She stands, fashioned in
200-year-old papier-mâché, on the main
altar flanked by her green- and red-faced
assistants. It is said that they can see or
hear any boat in distress over a range
of 1600km.
Trieu Chau Assembly Hall , on the far
eastern edge of town at 157 Nguyen Duy
Hieu (daily 7.30am-5.30pm), was built
in 1776 by Chinese from Chaozhou and
has a remarkable display of woodcarving.
In the altar-niche sits Ong Bon, a general
in the Chinese Navy, surrounded by a
frieze teeming with bird, animal and
insect life; the altar table also depicts life
on land and in the ocean.

in style although its eighty ironwood
columns and small glass skylights
denote Japanese influence, and it's
decorated with beautiful embroidery and
elaborate lanterns.

Museums
Housed in a traditional timber residence-
cum-warehouse, the Museum of Trading
Ceramics (daily 7am-5.30pm) at 80 Tran
Phu showcases the history of Hoi An's
ceramics trade, which peaked in the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. he
smaller Museum of Sa Huynh Culture at
149 Tran Phu displays artefacts found in
Sa Huynh, 130km south of Hoi An,
which flourished between the second
century BC and the second century AD,
while the Museum of History and Culture
(daily 7am-5.30pm), behind the
seventeenth-century Quang Cong Temple
at 7 Nguyen Hue, features ceramics,
burial jars, and bronze and gold jewellery
from the early Dong Son civilization.

11

Markets
he produce market at the east end of
Tran Phu retains the atmosphere of a
typical, traditional country market
despite the tourist contingent.
he bustling riverside fish market
(6-7am), opposite the southern end of
the market, is worth setting the alarm
clock for; it's a hive of early-morning
activity, as dozens of fishwives gather to
sell the catch of the night.

The merchants' houses
Most of Hoi An's original wooden
buildings are on Tran Phu and south
towards the river, which is where you'll
see the best-known merchants' house, at
101 Nguyen hai Hoc. he Tan Ky House
(daily 8am-noon & 2-4.30pm) is a
beautifully preserved example of a
two-storey, late eighteenth-century
shophouse, all dark wood and dimly lit,
with shop space at the front, a tiny
central courtyard, and access to the river
at the back. It is wonderfully cluttered
with the property of seven generations
grown wealthy from trading silk, tea and
rice, and boasts two exceptionally fine
hanging poem-boards and a wall devoted
to photos of Hoi An's floods. he house
gets very crowded and is best visited early
or late in the day.
Just up from the covered bridge, at 4
Nguyen Minh Khai, Phung Hung House
(daily 8am-7pm) has been home to the
same family for eight generations since
they moved from Hue in about 1780.
he large two-storey house is Vietnamese

The beaches
he 30km of coastline between Hoi An
and Da Nang boast some of Vietnam's
finest beaches. Cua Dai Beach - a 3km
stretch of golden palm-lined sand - lies a
pleasant 5km bike ride east of Hoi An
along Cua Dai Road (30,000VND by
xe om ). It's becoming rather built-up,
and the vendors go for the hard sell here,
but a number of restaurants near the
road are a worthwhile stop for seafood.
Windsurfers, bodyboards and surfboards
are available for rent from the five-star
Palm Gardens Beach Resort .
An Banh Beach , 3km from town along
Hai Ba Trung, is much quieter and more
beautiful - a wide stretch of sand as yet