The Awe-inspiring Hoi An Museum of History and Culture

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Hoi An is a scenic city in central Vietnam that is tailor-made for tourism. Its Old Town has waited for years to be propelled into the international scene and become a UNESCO World Heritage Site for amazingly preserving the way it looked two centuries ago. While most of the world knows about the Vietnam war, Hoi An city has preserved the idyllic pre-war Vietnam of old both in its Old Town and the Hoi An Museum of History and Culture.

Imagine walking on cobblestone streets after sunset just as the day gives up its light. As the dark creeps in, the flickering lanterns at sea slowly fill the landscape until they become like fireflies in the night. Dimly lit lanterns provide dramatic lighting on the cobblestone street as the shadows of old crumbling houses grew taller and taller by the minute. You sit down on an old wooden park bench to enjoy the cool sea breeze, which helps you forget the sweltering heat during the day. This scene makes up the regular evenings that envelope Hoi An’s Old Town. It is a living museum and walking through it is surreal.

Known as Faifo from the 17th to the 19th Century, Hoi An was an important port. International traders from China, Japan, India and Indonesia came to make business. It was a flourishing city until the port of Da Nang took over. Hoi An simply stopped any form of development or activity, which is why the Old Town now appears as though it was time warped into modern times. Touring this place could make computers, smart phones and modern gadgets seem alien.

Tourists are awed just walking pass the Japanese covered bridge that leads to a Japanese settlement, the busy central market, colorful silk shops, age-old houses, the Quan Cong Temple, Fujian Assembly Hall, and Chinese Assembly Hall.

After seeing, touching and feeling these “live” ancient artifacts, a tourist ends up wanting more of the city’s historicity, and this makes a perfect reason to check out the Hoi An museum.

Located on Nguyen Hue Street inside Old Town, Hoi An Museum of History and Culture used to be a religious structure originally in 1635. Today, not only is it the main repository of the city’s treasures and historical records, it is also a pagoda, known as the Quan Yin pagoda.

Inside the museum are porcelain and ceramic wares, 2,000-year-old pots, an ancient anchor, Sa Huynh jar burials, bricks and tiles from the Champ Kingdom, statues from different civilizations, and bronze drums from the Dong Son civilization in 3000 BC. There are also important maps, photos and documents that tell of the city’s rich history.

When in Hoi An, it makes sense to visit Hoi An Museum of History and Culture first before checking out the other three museums, which are Museum of Say Huynh Culture, Museum of Folk Culture, and Museum of Trade Ceramics. The Hoi An Museum gives a sweeping summary of Hoi An’s history, culture and heritage, which allows visitors to appreciate the city even more. With such prior understanding of Hoi An, a visit to the other museums is more appreciated.