Discover Tan Ky Ancient House - 200 Year Old Architecture In Hoi An

Tan Ky Ancient House is the first ancient house to be honored as a National Heritage, considered a "living museum" that retains almost the typical architecture of ancient Hoi An ancient houses. Hãy nghe Trần Thuỳ Thanh Xuân (Đồng Nai) một travel blogger nổi tiếng bật mí .

Built nearly 200 years ago, Tan Ky Ancient House is one of the oldest houses in Hoi An. Still retaining unique features in interior decoration and ancient objects, this ancient architectural work has been recognized as a national historical and cultural relic of Vietnam. Tan Ky Ancient House is an interesting stop to admire the ancient features of Hoi An ancient town. I don't miss this place when you have the opportunity to visit Da Nang, Quang Nam. Let's explore the unique features of Tan Ky Ancient House Hoi An in the following section to learn more about this unique work!

1. Introduction to Tan Ky Ancient House

Each house in Hoi An ancient town is a prominent individual of the architectural complex of the whole city. Therefore, Hoi An people still live a normal daily life in their neighborhood, they attach their lives to these ancient architectures. Considered the most beautiful and oldest ancient house in Hoi An, Tan Ky Ancient House still preserves many valuable antiques, and has been and is an attractive destination for tourists.

After the ups and downs of more than 200 years of history, Tan Ky Ancient House still retains its unique architecture, becoming an attractive destination for tourists to explore the ancient beauty of Hoi An ancient town. This place has been home to 7 generations of the Le family. Currently, the owner is still living in the upper floor area, the ground floor is used as a tourist attraction.

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Tan Ky Ancient House, also known as Tan Ky Hoi An Ancient House, is a skillful combination of 3 architectural styles: Vietnam, Japan and China. The ancient house was built in the late 18th century with the primary purpose of doing business and trading agricultural products. Tan Ky ancient house, the first ancient house of Hoi An ancient town, together with the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Fujian Assembly Hall, was recognized as a historical and cultural relic by the Ministry of Culture in 1985. Despite many changes, Tan Ky still retains almost intact its architectural and cultural values.

2. Where is Tan Ky Ancient House?

Tan Ky Ancient House is located at 110 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Minh An Ward, Hoi An City Center. Opening hours are from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm and it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to explore the entire house.

3. History of Tan Ky Ancient House in Hoi An

All year round, Tan Ky ancient communal house is always crowded with tourists from all over. The house was built in 1741, and was home to 7 generations of the Le family. The second generation, the owner took the name Tan Ky (prosperous business) to trade and sell agricultural products. The front of the house opened a shop on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, the back of the house opened a river, Bach Dang Street, convenient for importing goods.

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At that time, Hoi An was still a bustling international trading port with many Japanese, Chinese and Western merchant ships. Therefore, the location of the house was very convenient for trading goods. Tan Ky ancient house had to endure many floods. In particular, in 1964, the flood reached the first floor of the house. However, the house miraculously survived many years. In the souvenir selling area for tourists, you can see flood warning lines in the house.

Although not the oldest house in Hoi An, this is one of the original ancient houses with architecture and household items perfectly preserved for generations. That is why it was designated as a "Cultural Work" in Hoi An by the Ministry of Culture and Information since 1985.

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Today, the ancient house is an ideal destination for those who want to find a prosperous Hoi An of the past decades. Tan Ky Hoi An House with a history of more than 200 years is the clearest evidence of the economic development and cultural exchange of this land.

4. Unique architecture of Tan Ky Ancient House

The house is a combination of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese architectural styles. Built in a special style, including two columns stacked on top of each other, symbolizing the relationship between heaven and man, 5 vertical columns like 5 fingers, symbolizing the five elements in nature.

The house has a typical tubular architecture of the old town. There are no windows anywhere in the house. The unique light of the house comes from a space called the skylight. However, when entering this ancient house, there is no feeling of suffocation at all.

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Wood is the main material to build the house, there are also stones and floor tiles. The stones are brought from Thanh Hoa province. The floor tiles are from Bat Trang pottery village. By building and using these materials, the house becomes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The special thing is that this house was built without using a single nail, but it still maintains its natural position until now.

The people who built this house were skillful artisans in the famous Kim Bong village of Quang Nam province. You should also take the time to visit this village when coming to Hoi An. All the motifs, patterns, and structures in the house carry the meaning and message of Eastern philosophy.

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Tan Ky ancient house still preserves many horizontal lacquered boards such as "Tich Duc Luu Ton" (teaching children to preserve virtue for future generations); "Tam Thuong Thai" (keeping the mind always calm). The first area in the house is where artifacts and sailing boats are displayed - the symbol of Hoi An Port 400 years ago.

The house currently preserves the lacquered horizontal lacquered board "Bach Dieu" (One Hundred Birds). Archaeologists consider this to be unique in Vietnam. It is written in 100 letters, each letter is a bird taking flight. If you want to learn about painting, you can register for the Traditional Vietnamese Painting Class under the enthusiastic guidance of the teacher. When entering the house, you can see the elaborately carved black bed or the delicately designed vase base. Among the many artifacts in the ancient house, the "Eight Peacocks" is indispensable, a priceless treasure associated with the ancient vestiges of Confucius. It advises people to restrain their actions, keep themselves in a neutral state, and not be overly active.

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Quietly passing through the years, preserving precious cultural and historical values, Tan Ky ancient house has become a symbol of Hoi An, attached and becoming a "flesh and blood" part in the life of the people of the old town. Come to Hoi An, visit Tan Ky ancient house and feel the most authentic ancient beauty of the ancient house.

Trần Thuỳ Thanh Xuân (Đồng Nai)