Hoi An - Museum of Trade Ceramics & Tan Ky House

OK, back to my Hoi An story. Now that you what are the main attractions in Hoi An Ancient Town, here's some brief info on the one that I had visited during my stay there.

Museum of Trade Ceramics

The first attraction I visited was the Museum of Trade Ceramics. Located along the Tran Phu Street, this museum traces the origin and history of Hoi An and its function as a trade port back in the old days. 

Museum of Trade Ceramics

Many ceramic plates and vases, most of which are in fragments, of various origin points such as China and Japan, can be found on display here in the museum, reinforcing the importance of this quaint town as a trade centre back then.

Some of the ceramics on display

Model of trading ship back then

While the displays here are solid works to support Hoi An’s claim as a vibrant city in the 13th through the 17th centuries, the real deal of the museum is the building itself. This house was one of the six houses picked by the professionals for the Hoi An Town Preservation Cooperation Project to protect and restore the town’s valuable built heritage.   

Engraving inside the house

Besides the ceramics on display, you can also read about the process of the restoration works done to preserve the house. Of all the six houses chosen, only this house was altered its original function to become the museum. The rest remained as residences or shops.

The original roof tiles and pillars, replaced in the restoration

Tan Ky House

Generations of family have been residing in this Old House of Tan Ky, including the current one. Upon entering the front of the house, one of the family members will greet you with a cup of tea and ask whether you would like a tour of the house. History of the family as well as the house will be shared by the said family member to you, giving off a closer connection to it.

The living room of Tan Ky House

Tan Ky House is a blend of three distinctive architectural styles - Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese – making this old house unique of its own. Serving both a family house and merchant shop, the front part of the building is for meeting with travelling merchants while the back and the second floor of the house are for own uses.

The bedroom

The tour of the house is restricted to only the front area, the living room and the courtyard. While you can roam freely around the house, you will feel like intruding their lives for some of the elders are resting inside the house.

Another wall engraving, this time in the Tan Ky Old House

Not much photos were taken when in the old house. I don't feel welcomed, to be honest, nor I felt right to take photos of other people' houses.

*TO BE CONTINUED*