Phung Hung ancient house in Hoi An lies quietly with ancient beauty, bold Asian style. The ancient house has been exiting for over 240 years old. Not only is it a unique tourist destination, Phung Hung ancient house is also a historical witness and a national monument recognized by the state.
General information about Phung Hung Ancient House
Phung Hung Ancient House is currently located in the ancient town of Hoi An, the house was built by a Vietnamese merchant in 1780 – this is also the most prosperous period of the town. The name Phung Hung is also the merchant’s name and means the wish for business to “prosper”.
In the past, Phung Hung ancient house was a shop selling products such as salt, pepper, cinnamon, silk, porcelain, etc. The owner of the ancient house is belong 8th generation and continuing to preserve this important heritage.
On June 29, 1993, Phung Hung ancient house was honored to be certified as a National Historical-Cultural Monument. Standing out with its unique ancient architecture, imbued with Asian colors and imprints, it is a typical symbol of architectural works during the period when Hoi An ancient town was still a prosperous trading port.
- Address: No. 4 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province
- The tour ticket price: 80,000 VND/trip so you can visit all 3 ancient houses locate near together : Phung Hung, Duc An and Quan Thang.
- Opening hours: from 8:00 a.m to 18:00 p.m every day, including Saturday and Sunday.
Explore the unique architecture at Phung Hung ancient house
Phung Hung ancient house is greatly influenced by the styles of cultures such as China – Japan – Vietnam. The house uses main materials from wood to make the frame – structural floors, yin-yang tiled roof, brick gable walls with many elaborate carved details on columns, wooden beams, and girders.
The front of the house is divided into 3 compartments, the main entrance is in the middle compartment, the 2 side compartments are sales doors. Above the main door, there are two “door eyes”, an architectural mark in Hoi An. The door eye is both a decoration and a spiritual element, considered a “guard” for the house, preventing bad things from entering.
The outermost layer of the house was previously a sales place, but is now a place to receive guests. The layout and interior furnishings remain the same.
From the outer room to the inner room go through a middle door. On the door there is a horizontal painting with meaning the virtues of the ancestors are shining. On both sides of the door are pairs of ancient couplets.
The inside space is the living room. The above of living room has no floor. This space reaches up to the roof, opens up and let light into the house. The 2nd floor has railings surrounding it. The entire house has 80 ironwood columns.
The roof above the living room spreads out to four sides. This roof layer is higher than the adjacent roof layers to create space for ventilation. This is a mark of Japanese architecture.
The innermost space is the family’s residence. The outer space on the second floor is a place for worship and family activities. Here there is an ancestral altar and an altar of Mazu – a deity in Chinese beliefs.
The roof structure system in this space and the space behind, along with the frame, rib, and wooden floor system, has pure Vietnamese architecture.
There is a square door on the floor, called a trap door. This door works to connect with the commercial space downstairs, used to move goods upstairs when floods come in. This is also an indigenous architectural detail.
The door opening to the veranda is made in the style of upper and lower bars (in the top has bars, the bottom is made of closed wood) providing privacy but still ventilation, suitable for the local climate.
The front porch on the 2nd floor is a mark of Chinese architecture with a crab shell ceiling structure (curved wooden ceiling system). Carp images are carved on the shell support frames. The image of carp in Chinese culture is a symbol of luck, for Vietnam it is prosperity, and for the Japanese it brings power.
In Phung Hung ancient house, many antiques and ceramics dating back hundreds of years are still preserved.
Up to now, the house still retains almost intact architectural lines, interior and exterior. This is also a relic of the architectural art and lifestyle of the ancient Hoi An merchant class, as well as a testament to cultural interference in Hoi An.
Source: collected by An
Follow us for the best deal with Vietnam package tours and visa services!
