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Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
Aug 1, 2023
By Ms. Minh Thu
Hoi An - one of the hottest tourist destinations in Central part of Vietnam, boasts many locals for people to visit, including Tan Ky Old House Hoi An. Thanks to its unique architecture with a vintage vibe, along with many interesting facts behind this house, Tan Ky Old House has become the symbol of Hoi An’s architecture and a challenge to the time. Let Vietnam Escape Tours accompany you in the journey exploring attractive places in Vietnam, and this time is Tan Ky Old House Hoi An.
Hoi An ancient town is located on the Thu Bon river with an area of only about 2 square kilometers but has a strange attraction for tourists coming here. Driving tourists by surprise when coming to Hoi An are the ancient houses over 300 years old with architectural layouts and construction styles from the 16th and 17th centuries, which are still almost intact. Tan Ky ancient house is considered the oldest house in Hoi An with nearly 200 years of existence. Tan Ky ancient house located at 101- Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An city (Quang Nam) has very special marks, so in 1985 this house was ranked as a national relic. On the road to explore Hoi An's historical features, this is an intriguing stop.
Tan Ky Old House lies on the waterfront of Thu Bon River
The first owner of Tan Ky house was Mr. Le Tu Hien, also known as Le Cong, orphaned at the age of 7. His uncle, surnamed Truong, raised him until he was 18, when he was given land to build a simple wooden house to be independent. Thanks to his intelligence, resourcefulness, and quick trade, Mr. Hien suddenly became a rich merchant in Minh Huong commune at that time. From an orphan boy to a successful businessman and a house worthy of his family's reach also began to be born. According to the story, in order to build a house, rather than the Tan Ky shop that we see now, Mr. Hien had to accumulate all kinds of jackfruit, ironwood, and kien kien wood for 10 years, hiring talented carpenters in the village. Kim Bong chiseled and carved continuously for 3 years to build a house in 1741.
The house was built in 1741, with several generations of Le family living until the second generation, they took the name Tan Ky to trade in agricultural products. This house is built extremely unique with multinational architectural lines. This is considered the most beautiful and intact old house in Vietnam today. The overall architecture of the house follows the typical tubular style of Hoi An townhouses with the interior divided into many compartments, each with its own function. At the same time, interior decoration materials in the house mainly use precious woods, which are carved and sculpted very sophisticatedly, showing the wealth of generations of owners in the house. Hoi An is a commercial port city with cultural exchange and acculturation of many cultures through the periods, so these old houses, in addition to the traditional architecture of the Vietnamese people, have received the culture. of China, there are details of Japanese or western culture. For example, in this house, we see the image of the representative tube house or The arched eaves are influenced by Chinese architecture, Tile roofs and sculpting natural images is through the hand of the famous Kim Bong village carpenter in Quang Nam, then many decoration items are also influenced by Western culture.
Tan Ky Old House is considered the most beautiful and intact old house in Vietnam today
Despite the ravages of time and floods, the house remains mostly intact thanks to being built with good materials. Wood is the main material used by homeowners to build a house.
Tan Ky Old House was built on good woods
Besides wood, there are also stones and stone tiles brought from Thanh Hoa. It is this type of stone that helps the wooden pillars not to rot after so much time. Floor tiles are Bat Trang tiles that are cool in summer and warm in winter. As a result, historical floods have affected Tan Ky Ancient House as well as other residences in Hoi An Ancient Town. The worst of these floods occurred in 1964, when the water reached the first floor's ceiling. But the old houses are still intact, like a challenge with time. The only human window in the house is a courtyard called a skylight. However, when entering this house, visitors do not feel stifled.
Skylight - the "air conditioner" of the whole house
At present, Tan Ky ancient house still preserves many monuments, in which there are many beautiful paintings such as: "Tic Duc Luu Ton" (teaching children and grandchildren to keep good virtue for the next generation); "Traditional mind" (keeping the mind always quiet), in addition, this place also keeps a set of "Bach Dieu" which is considered unique by archaeologists. The Bach Bird Conjunction is written in 100 strokes, each of which is a bird in flight.
But the most precious, perhaps the "Confucius Cup" - is a priceless treasure, associated with the ancient legend of Confucius, advising people to control their behavior, keep themselves in a neutral state, not outrageous. The content of this theory is quite difficult for people to understand, so his disciples made the cup that was not full to make it easy for people to understand and follow.
Confucius Cup - a priceless treasure
Another special thing is the name of Tan Ky ancient house. This is the first old house honored to become a national heritage and also the only old house in Hoi An honored to welcome heads of state, and politicians in the country and abroad. Many film crews also filmed here.
Tan Ky Old House - The live Museum in Hoi An
- Ancient houses display precious antiquities, should be careful not to touch the artifacts to avoid damage;
- Limit noise to avoid affecting the owner;
- Keep the ticket stub after purchase to use during the tour of Hoi An;
- Visiting the old house with a group of 8 people or more will be free of charge for instructions, listening to the explanation of Tan Ky ancient house.
-Or you can also contact the commentary at the Tan Ky ancient house or at the ticketing point to discover more clearly the historical value of the old house;
- The area selling souvenirs is at the back of the old house, you can see and choose to buy as gifts for friends and relatives. Tan Ky Ancient House in English is "Tan Ky Ancient House", you can choose souvenirs with the above words printed.
Vietnam Escape Tours hopes that, with useful information given above, you now have some visualizations before starting your trip to Hoi An. If you are a person who is really into exploring history or old architecture, then this trip to Tan Ky Old House Hoi An won’t make you feel disappointed. Many thanks for reading!
