Hoian Ancient Town -
A World Cultural Heritage
On
arriving in Hoian, you are immediately impressed by its old-world charm
and picturesque buildings portraying its cultural heritage.
Hoian’s many facades
are relics of its past association with Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese,
and, of course, Vietnamese cultures. There are over 1,360 historic
buildings in Hoian, with 1,283 being of particular interest due to their
significant architectural and archeological characteristics. They
include houses, bridges, and religious buildings, such as temples,
tombs, and pagodas, as well as assembly halls.
The whole structure
of the town is a “living museum” of architectural detail and
Chinese-Vietnamese community life.
Cultural and economic
exchange with other countries many centuries ago enriched Hoian with the
mixing of traditional and foreign arts structures, that has made Hoian
an exclusive town that nowhere in the world can compare with.
When visiting Hoian,
you can visit its historical and cultural museums, which include famous
vestiges such as Japanese Bridge, Assembly Halls of five Chinese groups
(Phuc Kien, Quang Trieu, Trieu Chau, Hai Nam, and Quang Dong), old
private dwellings such as Tan Ky and Phung Hung, clan temples, Chuc
Thanh Pagoda, and Quan Cong Temple. You can also travel to Cham Island
to visit its charming beach and enjoy its fresh air, or go to Cua Dai
beach for a swim, and take a tour around the fertile countryside to see
skilled workers in Kim Bong carpentry village, Thanh Ha pottery village
and Tra Que vegetable village.
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In relation to
spiritual cultural heritage, Hoian was a place of the propagation of
Catholicism and Buddhism in the southern region, and a place where
Vietnamese script came into being in the 17th century. It was
a meeting and exchange place of international cultures of the Cham,
Vietnam, China, Japan, India, and other countries in Southeast Asia and
in the West. Especially, many of these non-material cultural heritages
have been preserved and maintained well and have contributed to making
the old town of Hoian a unique tourist site of a “living museum”. These
traditional cultural heritages comprise
-Festivals such as
Chuc Xuan, celebrated at the Tet Holiday, Nguyen Tieu Tet on the
fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Cau Ngu Festival, Boat Racing
and Te Ca Ong Festival on the first day of the fourth lunar month, Ruoc
Long Chu Festival at the lunar new year, Mid-Autumn festival; Hat Mua Ba
Trao, Bai Choi, Sac Bua and Ho Khoan Doi Dap ...
- Religious
activities are periodically celebrated in religious buildings, and other
traditional habits in their families, and communes and villages.
- Food and meals such
as Cao Lau, Mi Quang, Hoanh Thanh, Banh Quai Vac, Banh In, and Banh It;
- Traditional
handicraft industries and home-made products;
- Folk songs such as
Ca dao, Ho ve, Tuc ngu, Hat ru and Tat tuong are still passed by
tradition from generation to generation, and are becoming more and more
popular.
When
staying in Hoian, you can easily travel to other World Cultural
Heritages that are not too far away including Hue Citadel in Hue, and My
Son holy land; and the some other attractive places, such as Cham Museum
in Da Nang and the Marble Mountains ... As well as these interesting
sights, you can go to other spots to the south of the old town of Hoian
such as Phu Ninh, Chu Lai, Ban Than, Bai Rang. |
