Jeff's Travels: Hoi An - Hoi An Handicraft Workshop & Hokien Meeting Hall

Friday, December 7, 2012

Hoi An - Hoi An Handicraft Workshop & Hokien Meeting Hall

Let's continue with the attractions in Hoi An that I've been to.

Hoi An Handicraft Workshop

This is a must go attraction in my opinion. However, you have to be there at specific time if you want to catch traditional performances staged for tourists to watch. According to the Wikitravel website, there are two daily performances at 10.15 am and 3.15 pm, except on Monday itself. It was the afternoon show that I happened to stumble upon.

Traditional dances

If my memories served me right, there were five performances in total. The first is the traditional instrument performance, followed by four song and dance segments of various ethnic tribes around Vietnam. All the performances are unique and entertaining, no doubt about that.

While the front hall of the house was used as the stage of the show, the back section is the place where handicrafts are showcased and hopefully, being bought by tourists. If you proceed to the first floor, you get to have a glimpse of talented artists stitching photos onto a piece of cloth. They are transferring the photos into a work of cross stitch and the results are gorgeous, almost the exact replica of the photos.

Lanterns, being Hoi An's signature look, are aplenty there

Talented cross-stitch artist bringing pictures to life...

...in cloth

Hoi An Handicraft Workshop is a must visit attraction in this UNESCO Heritage Site.

Hokien (Fujian) Meeting Hall

This meeting hall is quite popular among the tourists and it is understandable to see why. I have to admit, I have no idea what's the function of this communal hall. Is it like Khoo Kongsi back in George Town, Penang, a clan house? Or is it as its name suggested, a meeting hall? Even when inside the compound, I still have no idea which category this Hokien Meeting Hall fits into.

Look at the Japanese tourists, mesmerized by its beauty

Regardless of that, I still find this assembly house very interesting, with beautiful architectures to boost about. Its famous facade is the usual pop up image when searching for the communal hall through the Internet. Here's some pictures of Hokien Meeting Hall.