Hoi An opens heritage assembly hall

Hoi An a World Heritage town in central Vietnam opened its historic Hai Nam Assembly Hall for tourists.

The hall, also known as Quynh Phu, is just one on a long list of protected sites under the town’s conservation regulations and one of five assembly halls that were built by Chinese merchants when the town was known as Faifo.

The other four assembly halls are Phuc Kien, Quang Dong, Trieu Chau and Trung Hoa.

Hai Nam was built as a house of worship in 1875 to honour 108 Chinese traders from Hainan Island who were mistaken for being pirates and were killed by soldiers of the Nguyen Dynasty. They were later declared to be martyrs by Emperor Tu Duc.

Hai Nam Assembly Hall was built in the Chinese style, consisting of the main worship chamber, the east house, the west house, the front courtyard and the back courtyard.

At the centre of the main chamber is a crimson-painted and gold-plated wooden altar, depicting life in the three realms of heaven, earth and water. At the rear is a tablet dedicated to the 108 slain traders.

The two sides of the main chamber are shrines dedicated to the God of Wealth and ancestors.

If you want to visit  Hoi An, drop us an email to tour@vietnamstay.com