Hội An
已更新：9月7日
Former Chinese spice-trade port brimming with colour and energy - Hoi An Ancient Town 948; Practices related to the Viet beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms 01064
What and Why
Hội An looks like a tranquil riverside town but is actually a genuine tourist magnet. There is a lot of historic charm in the town, especially the Chinese heritage, although this is now totally subsumed into a huge tourist theme park.
The history of Hội An came from the ancient state of Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ, Campa) which occupied much of what is now central and lower Vietnam (Vietnamese:Việt Nam). In the early years, Mỹ Sơn was the spiritual capital, Trà Kiệu was the political capital while Hội An was the commercial capital of Champa - all three aligned on a straight line. Between the 7th and 10th centuries CE, the Cham (Cham: ꨌꩌ, Čaṃ) people controlled the strategic spice trade and this prospered the town.
Hội An became an important Vietnamese trading centre in the 16th and 17th centuries CE, where Chinese from various provinces as well as Portuguese, Japanese, Dutch and Indians settled. The Chinese influence was especially strong, similar to other Vietnamese city, as they were escaping from Chinese armies during the Ming (Chinese: 明) dynasty. Hội An became so important and prosperous that it was considered by Chinese and Japanese merchants to be the best trading ports in all of Asia, and subsequently developed various Vietnamese beliefs or rituals relating to maritime trade and travels.
Hội An's importance waned sharply at the end of the 18th century CE because of the collapse of Nguyễn rule. With the reign of Emperor Gia Long (né Nguyễn Phúc Ánh), he repaid the French support for their aid by giving them exclusive trade rights to the nearby port town of Đà Nẵng. Đà Nẵng then became the new centre of trade in central Vietnam while Hội An took a huge step back. Today, Hội An is famous for its colourfully-painted buildings, narrow streets, traditional wooden houses, lanterns, riverside sceneries and exceptionally atmospheric historic centre, reminiscent of its former cosmopolitan trading glory. It is a town where Vietnamese traditions were combined with Chinese and Japaense traditions.
Toponymy
'Hội An' means 'a peaceful meeting place' in Vietnamese and Chinese (Chinese: 會安, hui an).
See
Rather than being organised around a monumental royal palace or a single religious complex, Hội An's historic centre is very different from other ancient town as it was essentially and effectively a merchant town. Its narrow streets are lined with shop-houses in which commercial, residential and sometimes religious functions were closely connected. The architecture and cityscape tell us about how people lived and traded, not simply how rulers wanted a city to look like.
Japanese Covered Bridge (Cau Nhat Ban)
This is Hội An's most recognisable landmark and must-see spot. As the bridge provides an excellent viewing platform to the nearby river, we almost spent 30 minutes walking back and forth multiple times.
Its covered structure makes it stand out and particularly distinctive. In the middle of the bridge, there is a Taoist (Chinese: 道教, daojiao) temple worshipping Zhenwu (Trấn Vũ, Chinese: 真武), to be honest my first time that I have seen something like this.
The bridge is believed to be constructed during the early 17th century by the Japanese community, roughly 40 years before they left the city to return to Japan (Japanese: 日本, Nippon) under Tokugawa Shogunate (Japanese: 徳川幕府, Tokugawa bakufu) reign, when the country imposed the sakoku (Japanese: 鎖国), isolationist policy.
Since the bridge was reconstructed by the Chinese and hence it has incorporated with more Chinese motifs.
As seen above, at one end are statues representing monkeys, and at the other opposing end are dogs, associated with the years in which construction and completion were commemorated according to the Chinese zodiac. There is also a Japanese pagoda, said to protect seafarers.
Trần Phú
The main thoroughfare of Hội An is Trần Phú, where pretty much the entire town spawns outward. A good walk would start from the eastern tip of Trần Phú and walk towards the Japanese bridge and then along the river bank and back. The town comprises of a well-preserved complex of a thousand timber frame buildings, with brick or wooden walls, which include architectural monuments, commercial and domestic vernacular structures.
Many of Hội An's traditional houses have a distinctive elongated plan called tube houses (nhà ống). As the plots were relatively narrow but deep, houses developed along an axis extending from the street towards the rear. The front usually functions as a shop, while living spaces, courtyards and ancillary areas extended behind it. This produced a distinctive urban architecture in which the street was effectively the commercial interface between the household and the wider world. This is quite different from modern urban segregation of residential and commercial district.
The main thoroughfare has turned itself to be a shoppers' paradise, but has also become, as mentioned a Vietnamese theme park. All traditional houses have become typical shops selling tourist souvenirs. The name Trần Phú came from the name of a Vietnamese revolutionary and the first general secretary of the Indochinese Communist Party (Đảng Cộng Sản Đông-Dương).
As afore-mentioned, the tube houses deserve a visit and we did not miss any chance
There are three old houses that allow visit, but there is nothing particular, other than the fact they are old and shabby. The beam support exhibits both Chinese and Japanese architecture.
As discussed above, these tube houses are deep in nature and functions as a shop in the front while acting as a residence at the back end. As pictured in the above house we visited we met an over-zealous house owner who, upon discovering that we were of Chinese origin, kept talking about the house history and refused to let us go.
Chinese Assembly Halls (Các hội quán người Hoa)
The main draw of Hội An are the numerous Chinese congregation halls (Các hội quán người Hoa), where Chinese expatriate residents socialised, worshipped and held meetings. They are typically named after the home region of their members, such as Fujian (Chinese: 福建) and Guangdong (Chinese: 广东). These more famous ones are the Guangdong-Zhaoqing Assembly Hall (Chinese: 廣肇會館, Guangzhao huiguan) and Hokkien (Fujianese) Assembly Hall (Chinese: 福建會館, Fujian huiguan).
These assembly halls therefore tell us something crucial about the town, the international merchants did not simply arrive, trade and leave. Many settled and formed permanent or semi-permanent communities and hence they needed places for worship, social organisation, dispute resolution, mutual assistance and maintaining cultural identity.
The Hokkien assembly hall serves the largest Chinese ethnic group in Hội An, and is dedicated to Mazu (Chinese: 媽祖), the Chinese sea goddess. From the temple, we learnt that Mazu is an actual historic person and is the apotheosis of the purported historical Lin Mo (Chinese: 林默) of the 10th century.
In many of these clan houses, one can see the witness of an overwhelming number of female deities, very different from the traditional Asian patriarchal view. The worship of these different female icons is known as Đạo Mẫu, drawing together a number of different deities like Bà Chúa Xứ and Princess Liễu Hạnh. 'Đạo Mẫu' comes from the Chinese word '道母 (daomu)' meaning 'the mother of faith or tao'.
One of the important features of this worship is that these deities were all real people and there was no supernaturals involved, unlike other Chinese or Japanese beliefs where the deities are spiritual. Clearly they have been iconised and immortalised but they remain real and mortal. The goddesses usually point to three realms: heaven, water and nature. The worship of Đạo Mẫu also contributes significantly to the status and appreciation of women in Vietnam.
It is important not to think of Đạo Mẫu as a single, tightly organised religion comparable to other mainstream religion. It cannot trace a founder nor does it have a central religious authority or a universally accepted sacred text or standardised doctrine. Instead, it developed through Vietnamese folk traditions over many centuries, absorbing local beliefs, legends, historical figures and elements from other religious traditions. I probably would refrain from using the word religion to describe it.
One of the most important concepts is the division of the supernatural world into different realms (phủ). The best-known system is associated with the Three Realms, while many contemporary practices also refer to the Four Palaces. They are generally understood as:
Realm | Name | Associated world | Goddess |
Heaven | Thiên phủ | Sky and cosmos | Princess Cửu Trùng Thanh Vân |
Mountain | Nhạc phủ | Nature | Princess Lê Mại Bạch Anh |
Water | Thoải phủ | Rivers, lakes and the sea | Princess Bạch Ngọc Xích Lân |
Earth | Địa phủ | Earth and terrestrial world | Princess Quỳnh Hoa Liễu Hạnh |
There are further female courtier ranks below these four princesses but we shall not elaborate. These give Đạo Mẫu an important relationship with Vietnamese environmental and natural culture. More importantly this particular Vietnamese folk culture developed a powerful feminine (but not feminist) sacred sphere even though the political and social institutions were still very much patriarchal.
Perhaps the most visually striking element of Đạo Mẫu is hầu đồng, sometimes translated as a form of spirit possession ritual. A practitioner known as a thanh đồng, literally translated as 'brass', performs a series of ritual 'incarnation' or 'possession' associated with different divine figures. It is actually a highly elaborate performative tradition. Fortunately or unfortunately we did not have the opportunity to witness this during tour visit. My troop would have been very scared.
This practice is recognised by UNESCO as an ICH.
Bạch Đằng
To be honest I have to say it was unprofessional of me to write about the river in the last bit as the river was really where everything started. The ancient settlement developed close to the river mouth of the river, providing access to maritime trade while remaining connected to inland communities. Hội An's geographical position made it an attractive location for merchants travelling through the South China Sea. The street represents the historical waterfront docklands where international trading vessels anchored. The riverside becomes particularly beautiful at the evening, when lanterns are lit and create a visual spectacular, as main picture above.
The eatery-street, named after the main river Bạch Đằng Giang, meaning 'white rattan river' in Vietnamese is an absolutely stunningly beautiful photospot, especially along the river bank, and is just a stone-throw from the Japanese bridge. There are a large number of bland boat trips along the river, humming annoying Christmas carols non-stop. The street houses all the good restaurants. This is also called the French Quarter as some of the buildings are classic French-style residential houses, although I can only locate one of them.
French-style building along Bạch Đằng. All of them converted to modern restaurants.
Experience, Buy and Do
Basket boat (Thuyền thúng)
One of the things to do in Hội An is to take a boat-trip in the traditional bamboo basket coracle (thuyền thúng) along the nearby coconut-tree laden river. These boats are still in use for fisheries and are designed to withstand random waves in the high-sea. The bamboo boat is made of bamboo and tree resin or cow dung is applied as a sealant. At a extra payment of around USD $5 they will do a stun with the passenger by spinning the boat fervently like a mad top. Naturally as picture below, we took the ride and here is our friend on one of the boats.
Trawl-fishing along the river.
One of the other entertainment, as you can see from the trawl-fishing picture above, is that the basket boats will congregate together around a platform to do a very noisy concert. A typical but hugely popular Chinese group activity that we stayed away from.
Eat and Drink
Vietnamese cuisine (Ấm thực Việt Nam)
Vietnamese cuisine (Ấm thực Việt Nam) has always been my favourite Southeast Asian cuisine, and is greatly admired for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of dairy and oil, complementary textures, and reliance on herbs and vegetables. Easily the healthiest cuisine in the world, it balances between fresh herbs and meats and a selective use of spices to reach a fine taste. Vietnamese cuisine always has maintained the balance of five oriental elements which correspond to its respective taste: spicy (metal), sour (wood), bitter (fire), salty (water) and sweet (earth).
A common dish is bi cuốn which is the rice-paper wrap and include a variety of ingredients like meat, vegetable and fresh herbs. We were well served in a restaurant Morning Glory along Bạch Đằng, serving traditional street-food in a very posh but cozy setting.
Bánh mì
Bánh mì is a type of eclectic French-Vietnamese sandwich, consisting of a French baguette, meats and fresh herbs. It is really made famous by the late Anthony Bourdain who visited a particular sandwich shop in Hội An, called Banh Mi Phuong, during the making of his food travel show No Reservations. In the show he declared their bánh mì to be the best sandwich he had ever eaten. Not that it is not good, but that is really too much of a hyperbole. Whatever said, this would be unmissable for a trip to Vietnam and particularly Hội An.
Stay
We stayed at the Hoi An Ancient House Village (Làng nhà cổ Hội An), which is one of the best hotels I have stayed in. At less than USD $100 a night, it is also an absolute steal.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
Hội An is only 30 minutes away from Đà Nẵng, the main airport and Hội An is entirely pedestrian. Do not attempt to rent a car in Vietnam, we have heard enough horrible stories about the quality of roads and cars in the country. Spend at least three days in town at least.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.
To meet spiritual needs, everyday wishes and gain help in achieving good health and success communities in Viet Nam worship the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms: heaven, water, and mountains and forests. The Mother Goddesses include Liễu Hạnh (a nymph who descended to earth, lived as a human and became a Buddhist nun) referred to as the Mother of the World, and other spirits considered legendary heroes. The traditional practice involves daily worship and participation in ceremonies, rituals like the spirit possession ritual and festivals such as Phủ Dầy that take place at temples dedicated to the Mother Goddesses. These activities associated with the practice help to maintain part of the community’s history, cultural heritage and identity with some aspects incorporating traditional costumes, music and dance. Bearers and practitioners are members of the public, temple guardians, ritual priests, spirit mediums, assistants and musicians who transmit knowledge and skills orally to newcomers and family members. The practice of shared values and strong beliefs in the compassion and grace of the Mother Goddesses provides a basis for social relations connecting members of participating communities. The worshipping of the Mother Goddesses also contributes to the appreciation of women and their roles in society.
References
Comments
Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-in-depth travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.