Duc An Old House- Hoi An Attractions

Introduction

The old house of Duc An Hoi An is located in the system of ancient houses that are well preserved. It is a must-visit tourist attraction in Hoi An ancient town. This place not only attracts visitors by its oriental design style, but it also contains a lot of deep historical meanings.

The meaning of the name Duc An

The word “Duc An” – the name of the house means “keeping morality for peace“. Duc An is also the name of the bookstore founded by the third ancestor in this house from the end of the 19th century. This is a unique bookstore, specializing in selling Han Nom books and stationery of Quang Nam province.

Duc An Old House Location

Duc An ancient house is located at 129 Tran Phu street – right in the center of Hoi An ancient town. Not only that, but it is also very close to the Japanese Covered Bridge, so it has got a lot of attention from tourists when coming here. With a lifespan of more than 180 years, the house has an ancient and contemplative character, showing the mark of time as well as the ancient culture in every detail.

Duc An Old House Map

The Unique Architecture Features

Not only preserving the overall state of the house but even the small items inside such as each brush or ink trays are carefully preserved by the owner. As if to show devotion to the ancient forefathers, but also to give visitors a more authentic view of the ancient culture here. Up to now, there have been 6 generations living in this house, and every year it is restored to preserve almost intact the beauty of the old times.

Duc An ancient house has a combination of ancient Vietnamese architecture and Chinese style. Its overall area is quite large compared to other old houses right in the center of the Hoi An. With a length of 39m and a width of up to 7m, it has a tubular structure and a courtyard in the middle.

Right in front of the house is a 3-door system, in the middle is the main entrance and on both sides are 2 large windows, only about 70-80 centimeters from the ground.

Especially the entire front is made of wood, which adds to the antiqueness of the house at first sight. Moreover, unlike other Hoi An old houses, the 3 doors here are quite unique. The main door uses a low door type, not exceeding the head of an adult. The other two doors do not use the door, but use horizontal wooden panels, or as the people here call it, the horizontal door.

Like other ancient houses in Hoi An, Duc An’s old house is roofed with yin and yang tiles. Underneath that tile is a system of wooden beams and ceilings, which are built firmly and sustainably over time, even though hundreds of years have passed.

A special thing in the structure of Duc An ancient house is that it is built mostly of wood. “Kieng” is a special ornamental wood only found in the land of Quang Nam province. With that type of wood, the house is able to withstand the hot and humid weather of this sunny and windy central Vietnam. In addition, the house also takes advantage of natural light sources, bringing nature into its structure.

• Tour recommended Hoi An Walking Tour Half Day, Hoi An City Tour Full Day

The setting of Duc An old house Hoi An

Duc An old house has a tubular structure like most houses in Hoi An ancient town. The house has a frontage of 7m wide, in the past 70m long – the front facing the street to do business, the rear-facing the river.

After the area used for doing business is the living room, and as a place of worship. At the entrance, there is a signboard with 3 words “Phan Tong Duong” (Family house of the Phan family).

The middle house – a place for family activities – also has a stacking system, with 2 overlapping roofs, the upper roof overlaps the lower roof, pulling to the back to form a large floor connected to the backyard. This is a unique type of house left in Hoi An.

Connecting the layers of the house is a toilet next to the courtyard. The courtyard is a place to rest, entertain, play chess, read books, drink wine… The interconnected spaces without separate doors create visual openness, bring natural light and vitality to the family.

Historical Value of Duc An Old House

Not only contain the cultural significance and beauty of ancient architecture, but Duc An ancient house is also an important witness, associated with the name of Comrade Cao Hong Lanh in the resistance war of Vietnam in the past.

At that time, this was the meeting place for soldiers and patriotic youth. And until the years 1925 – 1926, this house officially became the meeting and discussion point of patriotic intellectuals.

Therefore, this place still preserves many works of the famous patriot Phan Chau Trinh during the Duy Tan movement. Especially there are many famous books and newspapers in history such as New Century, Eastern France Times, etc.

Therefore, the old house of Duc An Hoi An is considered as a starting point, a place of light for the patriotism of the Central region people, playing a significant role in the victory of Vietnam.

Differences between Duc An and other Hoi An ancient houses

• Duc An Old House is the largest ancient house in Hoi An old houses system.
• The doors of Duc An ancient house are horizontal wooden panels doors.
• There are no souvenir shops in this ancient house.
• It is not only a relic but also a revolution site of Vietnam.

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