Visit Hoi An and visit Tan Ky ancient House

It takes no time to fall in love with Hoi An. Once come here, everyone seeks for chance to come back over and over again.  It is just the ordinary breath of Hoi An daily life that puts thousands of visitors under an imperial spell. Hoi An carries in every streets, the ancient roofs, the stories being told from generation to generation. Looking for Hoi An in a faded and blur dream, you may romantically get lost in a nostalgic space. And among many charms, the soul of Hoi An is given in the Tan Ky ancient house. 

If people often see a past of Ha Noi through the old house 87 Ma May, then the 200 years’ story of Hoi An story is told in every detail of Tan Ky house. The integrity of the old house after centuries makes people come here not be able to fall out of love with Hoi An. 

Located at 101 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street of Hoi An, Tan Ky ancient house was built nearly two centuries ago ass the home of Vietnamese merchant. It’s interior design and old furniture, as well as many relics of prospering trade and culture exchanges among the Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese during late 17 centuries. 

Tan Ky is known as the first old house, along with two others structures in Hoi An, which was given the title of Cultural Site by the Ministry of Culture and Information. The house was made of traditional materials by skillful local artisans under the influence of Chinese and Japanese styles. Its charming and elegant designs bring along with a cozy aspect. The architecture of the house has been kept almost intact, with only small repairs when it comes to necessary. The house are apart from the world outside by a large wooden door, with two wooden bolts carved the yin-yang simple in the about. Long planks are put together horizontally on the two sides of the doors. They can be dismantled for displaying goods and seating the owner when necessary. The back door overlooks a wharf the Hoi An river, which was very convenient for loading and uploading goods. 

The house opens up an ancient space with four small size room which were packed with various beautiful antiques mainly made of wood. The rooms served different purposes: One for welcoming the Chinese merchants, one is the living room, the third is the courtyard and the last is the bedroom. 

It is said that Tan Ky is the "living museum" and one of the most interesting museum in Hoi An. Although, at the very first sight Tan Ky house looks quite similar to some ancient house in Hanoi, it keeps countless memory and nostalgia in each souvenirs and ancient artifacts. 

From the horizontal lattice, opposite; From the golden cups of hundreds of years to the bowls, wine bottles, teacups ... They are incredibly unique, came out with the time when the house was built, but sometimes from several hundred years before. 

It is hard to believe that an ancient house still displays it original beauty even though it was built since 1741. This construction was a great combination between various architecture styles Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese. 

The old house of Tan Ky has a unique combination of three types of architecture. The beams of the roof are curve and they display Chinese information in an elaborate way; the peak roof bears Japanese characteristics and the Vietnamese crosshatch stands as a support of the roof of the old house. The walls of the house are also decorated with a unique mosaic. 

Hoi An has so many things that people love. But if there is a place in that early in the blue, remember to spend some time to find Tan Ky small house, the soul of the city. Let’s go more and more each day and live a meaningful life each day.