Architecture of Ancient Hoi An

A number of Hoi An's wooden building dates from the first part of the 19th century or earlier, giving visitors who have just a bit of imagination the feeling that they have been transported back a couple of centuries to a time when the wharf was crowded with sailing ships, the streets of Hoi An teemed with porters transporting goods to and from warehouses and trades from a dozen countries haggled in a babble of different languages.

Because Hoi An was relatively untouched by the American war, it almost serves as a museum piece of Vietnamese history. At this time, over 800 structures of historical significance have been officially identified in Hoi An

Hoi An Architecture can be categorized into 9 types

1. Houses and Shops
2. Wells
3. Family Chapels for ancestor worship
4. Pagodas
5. Vietnamese and Chinese temples
6. Bridges
7. Communal Buildings
8. Assembly halls of various Chinese Congregations
9. Various tombs belonging to Various Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese

Many of Hai An's Older Structures exhibit features of traditional architecture rarely seen today in Vietnam. As they have for centuries, some shopfronts which are open during the day to display theitr wares are shuttered at night by the shopkeeper inserting horizontal planks into grooves cut into the columns that support the roof. Some of the building's roof are made up of thousands of brick-colored yin and yang roof tiles - so called because of the way the alternating rows of concave and convex tiles fit snugly together.

During the rainy season, the lichens and moss that live on the tiles spring to life, turning entire rooftops bright green.

Many of Hoi An's houses have round pieces of wood with an am and Duong symbol in the middle surrounded by a spiral design over the doorway. These watchful eyes are supposed to protect the residents of the house from coming to any harm,

Hoi An's Historic structures are gradually being restored and there is a sincere effort being made to preserve the unique character of the city, the local government has put some thought into this - Old Houses of Hoi An must be licensed for restoration work and it must be done in the tasteful manner. The Government certify the historical significance of building - at present, there are four categories.

Hoi An Guided Tours

Many of the house owners in Hoi An Ancient town also charge for the invasion of their privacy as much as US$3 for a guided tour of the building - but this is negotiable, If you are on Vietnam Tours then you will not need to pay this extra fee as your Guide can organize it.