8 Cannot-Miss Old Houses in Hoi An To Learn Historic Values

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Recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999, Hoi An is known for its well-preserved culture and architecture. Its ancient houses, many dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, offer a glimpse into the town’s history as a trading port.

These historic houses feature timber structures, tiled roofs, courtyards, and traditional construction techniques, including wooden joints used instead of nails. Together, these details reveal how people lived and built homes in Hoi An’s trading-port era. For first-time visitors, the houses offer a starting point for discovering the town’s heritage. Read on to discover 8 ancient houses in Hoi An and the stories behind them.

1. Tan Ky Old House

  • Address: 101 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An, Da Nang
  • Opening hours: Approximately 8:00 AM-5:30 PM daily
  • Entrance: Included in the Hoi An Ancient Town heritage ticket
  • Architectural highlight: Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese design elements with intricate timber carvings
  • Notable feature: Historic flood-level markings and original household furnishings

Built in 1741, Tan Ky Old House is one of Hoi An’s best-preserved merchant houses and has remained in the same family for seven generations. Built in the traditional tube-house style, it reflects Hoi An’s history as an international trading port through a blend of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese architectural influences. 

The narrow frontage opens into a long interior with timber structures, an internal courtyard, and a rear connection to the river, allowing goods to move between the house and trading routes. Inside, visitors can see original wooden furnishings, carved decorative details and historic objects, as well as flood-level markings that record the impact of past floods on the house.

 

tan ky old house

Tan Ky Old House (Source: Google Maps)

 

2. Phung Hung Old House

  • Address: 4 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Hoi An, Da Nang
  • Opening hours: Approximately 8:00 AM-6:00 PM
  • Entrance: Included in the Hoi An Ancient Town heritage ticket
  • Architectural highlight: Two-storey timber structure with a broad wooden façade and traditional balcony
  • Notable feature: Original timber details, traditional furnishings and flood-adaptation features

Dating to around 1780, Phung Hung Old House is a historic merchant house near the Japanese Covered Bridge. Built for both residential and commercial use, it stands out for its relatively large two-storey timber structure, broad façade and wooden balcony. The house combines Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese architectural elements, with timber beams, columns, shutters and traditional yin-yang roof tiles preserved throughout the building. Its upper level also incorporates features historically used to protect and move goods during floods. Traditional furniture and household objects remain on display, giving visitors a closer look at domestic life in historic Hoi An.

Explore more: Hoi An Museums: Where the Ancient Town’s Stories Live On  

3. Quan Thang Ancient House

  • Address: 77 Tran Phu Street, Hoi An, Da Nang
  • Opening hours: Approximately 8:00 AM-6:00/7:00 PM
  • Entrance: Included in the Hoi An Ancient Town heritage ticket
  • Architectural highlight: Intricate Chinese-influenced wood carvings combined with traditional Hoi An architecture
  • Notable feature: Preserved timber framework, decorative ceramics and traditional interior furnishings

Quan Thang Ancient House is a historic merchant house traditionally associated with a Chinese merchant family. The house is particularly notable for its detailed woodwork and Chinese-influenced decorative style, combined with traditional Hoi An craftsmanship. Its tube-house layout includes an internal courtyard, timber framework, and elaborately decorated doors, beams, and wall panels. Decorative motifs, ceramic details and traditional furnishings remain part of the interior, while the preserved craftsmanship provides a glimpse into the design of historic merchant homes in Hoi An.

 

quan thang ancient house hoi an

Quan Thang Ancient House (Source: Google Maps)

 

4. Duc An Old House

  • Address: 129 Tran Phu Street, Hoi An
  • Opening hours: Approximately 8:00 AM-9:00 PM
  • Entrance: Included in the Hoi An Ancient Town heritage ticket
  • Architectural highlight: Traditional tube-house layout with timber framing, brick walls, tiled roof, and an internal courtyard
  • Notable feature: Preserved wooden furniture and interiors connected to the house’s history as a bookshop and Chinese medicine shop

Built in 1830, Duc An Old House is a traditional Hoi An tube house that reflects the town’s evolution from a trading port to a centre of commerce and cultural exchange. The house features brick walls, a tiled roof, timber framing, wooden furniture and a courtyard between its front and rear sections. The family originally used the house for selling books and newspapers before moving into the Chinese medicine trade. It later became associated with Cao Hong Lanh, a local revolutionary figure, and is now also known as the Cao Hong Lanh Memorial Site.

5. Diep Dong Nguyen House

  • Address: 80 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An
  • Opening hours: 8 AM-12 PM and 2-4:30 PM
  • Entrance: No regular admission fee; contact for more information
  • Architectural highlight: Distinctive jade-green doors and a well-preserved traditional shophouse façade
  • Notable feature: Extensive private collection of antique coins, ceramics, photographs, furniture and historic objects

Diep Dong Nguyen House was established by descendants of Diep Ngo Xuan, a Cantonese merchant who moved to Hoi An in 1856 and specialised in traditional Chinese medicine. The house is particularly distinctive for its jade-green doors, which contrast with Hoi An’s characteristic yellow façades. Inside, the family has preserved an extensive collection of antiques, including old currencies, ceramics, paintings, photographs, Chinese books and furniture. The collection also includes objects associated with Emperor Bao Dai and Queen Nam Phuong.

6. Thai Phien Old House

  • Address: 104 Thai Phien Street, Hoi An, Da Nang
  • Opening hours: Approximately 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
  • Entrance: Free
  • Architectural highlight: Traditional wooden structure with preserved decorative details and a historic well near the entrance
  • Notable feature: Traditional household objects and handmade silver, wood and lantern crafts displayed by the family

Dating back about 250 years, Thai Phien Old House is a traditional family residence just north of Hoi An’s main Old Town. Unlike the merchant houses that primarily showcase historic commercial architecture, Thai Phien offers a closer look at a living heritage house, where family members still live and maintain traditional crafts. The wooden house preserves traditional architectural details and decorations, while a well near the entrance remains part of the property. Visitors may also meet family members who share stories about the house, their crafts, and the objects kept inside.

 

thai phien ancient house hoi an

Thai Phien Old House (Source: Google Maps)

 

7. Tran Family Chapel

  • Address: 21 Le Loi Street, Hoi An, Da Nang
  • Opening hours: 7 AM-9 PM daily (closed at 6 PM on Monday and Saturday)
  • Entrance: Included in the Hoi An Ancient Town heritage ticket
  • Architectural highlight: Traditional ancestral-hall design with Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese influences
  • Notable feature: Ancestral tablets, historic family relics, and a preserved garden

Built in 1802 under Emperor Gia Long, Tran Family Chapel was commissioned by Tran Tu Nhac, a senior mandarin who served as an ambassador to China, as a place to worship and honour the Tran family ancestors. The complex combines a traditional ancestral hall with a garden and has been preserved by the family for more than two centuries. Its architecture incorporates Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese influences, with a distinctive three-door entrance, timber structures and a traditional roof. Inside, the ancestral altar contains stone tablets bearing the names and dates of family members, alongside historic objects associated with the Tran family.

8. Nguyen Tuong Family Chapel

  • Address: 8 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Hoi An, Da Nang
  • Opening hours: Daily, 8 AM-9 PM
  • Entrance: Check locally before visiting; access information varies
  • Architectural highlight: Traditional timber structure with original ironwood columns, rafters and beams
  • Notable feature: Rare books, manuscripts, royal honour diplomas and artefacts connected to the Nguyen Tuong family and Vietnamese literary history

Nguyen Tuong Family Chapel was established by Nguyen Tuong Van and served as the ancestral home and worship space of the Nguyen Tuong family. The house was restored in 1909 and again in 2005, while much of its original ironwood structure, including columns, rafters and beams, has been retained. The chapel is also connected to the literary history of the Nguyen Tuong family and the Self-Reliance Literary Group, with descendants preserving rare books, manuscripts, royal honour diplomas and other family artefacts. The site opened to visitors in 2013 and is now recognised as a provincial historical and cultural monument. 

Stay at Wafaifo and Explore Hoi An’s Historic Houses

Hoi An’s old houses offer a closer look at the town’s trading history, traditional architecture and family heritage. After exploring historic homes such as Tan Ky, Phung Hung and Duc An, staying close to the Ancient Town makes it easy to continue exploring the area at a relaxed pace.

Wafaifo Resort Hoi An is a lifestyle and wellness resort on Ly Thuong Kiet Street, about 1.2 km from Hoi An Ancient Town. The resort is around a 10-minute walk from the heritage quarter, making it a practical base for a day of visiting old houses, museums, and other heritage sites.

At Wafaifo, guests can also enjoy:

  • 134 rooms and suites with Vietnamese and Indochinese-inspired interiors.
  • Wellness by Wafaifo, with longevity and recovery facilities including HBOT, infrared sauna, float tank,….
  • Six food and beverage outlets, including Xua & Nay with a Josper charcoal grill.
  • 25 × 6 m swimming pool, fitness centre and infrared sauna.
  • Kids Club for children aged 5-12, with supervised activities and babysitting services available.
  • The Heritage & Culture Pathway, an open-air walk-through museum featuring 13 terracotta murals that share stories of Hoi An’s heritage, local life and historic trading-port culture.
  • A private in-house cinema for up to eight guests, ideal for movie nights, private screenings and live sporting events.
  • Complimentary bicycle rental, making it easy to explore Hoi An, nearby countryside and local attractions at your own pace.

Make Wafaifo Resort Hoi An your base for discovering the city’s heritage, with the Ancient Town just moments away.