THESIS INTRODUCTION PAGE

- Thesis Title: “ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENTS OF HOA PEOPLE IN

HOI AN (QUANG NAM)”
- Specialization: Archaeology
- Code: 9229017
- Full name of PhD student: Vo Thi Anh Tuyet
- Supervisors: Dr. Nguyen Thi Hau; and, Dr. Truong Hoang Truong
- Name of the training institution: University of Social Sciences and Humanities,
Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City.
+ Abstract:
Hoa people moved to trade and settle in the land of Hoi An (Quang Nam province)
in the 17th – 19th centuries. In this region, the Hoa immigrant community has built
architectural works to meet the daily needs of life and cultural and religious activities.
Over time, most of the ancient architectural works of the Hoa still exist in the heart of
Hoi An ancient town. Through using the main research method of historical archeology
combined with an interdisciplinary approach, applying the theory of urban archeology
and cultural exchanging and acculturation, the thesis has presented a systematic and
comprehensive presence of the ancient architectural monuments of the Hoa in Hoi An
(Quang Nam).
This architectural system is speculated on many different aspects, namely the
context of formation and development to the division of groups of types, distinct
characteristics of each type and general characteristics of the system of ancient
architectures of Hoa people (in terms of distribution space, architecture, etc.)
architectural style, decorative arts, relics, dates, etc.).
Combination fieldwork research (speculating the ancient architectures and relics in
the real) with the written historical documents and other sources, the thesis arranges the
developmental process, relationships, cultural exchange and acculturation. At the same
time, it defines the role of ancient architectural monuments of the Hoa in Hoi An in the
past and present, evaluating this architectural system and makes recommendations for
conservation and promotion of monuments.
The results of the thesis contribute to clarifying the history of settlement, especially
the commercial activities of the Hoa and the developmental aspects of Hoi An
international trade-port in the 17th - 19th centuries. The unique cultural imprints that
Hoa people left Hoi An, through ancient architectures, have reflected the important
contributions of this community to the construction and development of the land region
of Hoi An in the past and present.
+ The results of the thesis
1. The thesis is the first work to systematize documents and conducts far – reaching
research on the ancient architectural monuments of Hoa people in Hoi An (Quang Nam),
approaching from historical archeology method, and using the latest survey data up to
the year of 2022.
2. Basing on the function of use, the ancient architectural monuments of the Hoa
people in Hoi An are basically classified into two main groups: civil architecture group
(houses combined with shops and worship spaces…) and architectural group of religion
(temples, assembly halls, ancient tombs, Nghia Trung, Thanh Minh Tu). In addition,
there is also a special architectural group. Each monument or a concrete type of
monuments has its own characteristics in terms of architectural style, decorative arts,
relics, dates. Overall, the ancient architectural monuments of Hoa people in Hoi An have
the following basic characteristics: 1) Distribution space; 2) Architectural style and
Decorative arts, 3) Relic characteristics; 4) The changes about names and using functions
of some types of monuments (typically the assembly halls). Thereby expressing the
characteristic elements for each Hoa group in particular and the Hoa community in Hoi
An in general. The overall architectural relics of Hoa people in Hoi An dates back from
the 17th century to the early 20th century. Some monuments were built in the 17th - 18th
centuries but later (especially in the 19th century) were restored, repaired or rebuilt. The
age of wooden architecture, which exists currently, replaced mainly in the 19th century.
3. The system of ancient architectural monuments of Hoa people in Hoi An has a
distinct development process associated with the historical process of Vietnam and the
land of Hoi An, Quang Nam. Basically, it can be divided into four stages: 1) Phase 1
(the 17th century): Early monuments, noticed ones as relic of Quan De Temple (in Tra
Nhieu village) and Cam Ha palace (belonging to the boundary place of two communes
Cam Pho and Thanh Ha) or the birth of the architectural complex (special Quan Cong
temple and Quan Am pagoda); 2) Phase 2 (from the beginning of the 18th century to
1775): typically, the Duong Thuong Assembly Hall was established in 1741 (according
to one inscription), the name "Fujian Assembly Hall" appeared in 1792 or the
construction of a house in the south of Tran Phu street also took place from the 18th
century; 3) Phase 3 (from 1775 to 1802): During the period of dispute among the Trinh,
Nguyen and Tay Son feudal forces, the ancient Hoa architectures in Hoi An were also
affected to some certain extents, destroyed and restored; 4) Phase 4 (from the beginning
of 19th century to the beginning of 20 th century): At the beginning of 19th century, when
the role of international trade of Hoi An was gradually restored, it was also a busy period
of the Hoa town in Hoi An. Towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the
20th century, when the trade of Hoa merchants in Hoi An was quite prosperous, they
continued to build and overhaul old structures (typically, including temples and
assembly halls) on a large scale as it is to be seen today and most of the old objects in
that works are dated to this period.
4. The ancient Hoa architectures in Hoi An has a developmental process associated
with the immigration of Chinese merchants to the central region of Vietnam, as a result
of the relationship and cultural contact between Vietnam and China for centuries. The
Hoa in Hoi An and their complex of architectural monuments have shown the unique
cultural exchange of Hoi An resident communities in the past and present, the
convergence and interference between many different cultures, in which the bold imprint
is the influence from China. At the same time, through the comparative study between
the ancient architectural monuments of the Hoa in Hoi An with those characteristics in
other regions in the country such as Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City, Pho Hien (Hung Yen),
and some places in Asia (China, Japan), we study more clearly the characteristics of
ancient Hoa architecture in Hoi An.
 5. Born, existed and developed in the land of Hoi An, the architectural works of the
Hoa has taken an important role both in history and in the present. Historically, civil
architectures played an important role in the economy and culture of the Hoa merchant
community, while religious architectures occupied a special position in the cultural and
social life of the community in general. At present, the cultural heritages in general and
the ancient architectural monuments in particular of Hoa people still play an important
role and continue to contribute to the socio-economic development of the city, especially
in tourism activities, teaching and spreading historical and cultural knowledge. With
unique values, the ancient architectural monuments of Hoa people in Hoi An need to be
preserved and promoted.
6. Research on the ancient architectural monuments of the Hoa in Hoi An shows
that the Hoa merchants have made an important contribution to the flourishing of Hoi
An, and their architecture has created the appearance of Hoi An landscape at that time
and a famous heritage of Hoi An at the present. Since 1999, Hoi An ancient town has
been recognized as The World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, Hoi An has gradually
become a special destination attracting domestic and international tourists. This
achievement is largely due to the joint efforts of the government and the people of the
city in the management, preservation and promotion of heritage values, including
management issues for ancient architectural monuments of the Hoa. This is also the
experience for other locals in the country to apply.
+ Practical applications/applicability of the thesis, or issues awaiting further
examination
The results of the thesis provide practical materials for archeology, history, culture,
tourism study. The division of types, identification of characteristics, values, chronology
add materials to build a collection of scientific records for each monument and the entire
system of ancient Chinese architectural monuments in Hoi An. These are documents: a
summary of the process of discovering and researching about monuments, statistics,
descriptions, classifications, photos, drawings of architectures, analysis of the
relationships of monuments, which serves the inventory, research and management of
cultural heritage. These are also cultural and tourist documents serving the tourist
guiding in Hoi An city. The results of the thesis will help managers in researching,
preserving and promoting the value of monuments, especially exploiting the value of
tangible and intangible cultural heritage at the monuments. Ancient architectures of Hoa
people, are both associated with preserving Hoi An ancient town and serving economic -
cultural - tourism activities. The thesis is also a reference for research and teaching,
document for students, graduate students, those who are interested in the Hoa
community, the land of Hoi An (Quang Nam) and the history of Vietnam in the medieval
period.
From the results of the thesis, some research issues have been suggested in future
as follows:
+ The study of the relationship between the ancient architectural types of Hoa
people in Hoi An with those of other localities across the country, or China, Japan,
Southeast Asian countries to find out their own unique values which is mixed from the
characteristics of the original homeland and the changes when coming to each new land.
 + The development of Hoi An port in history and the nature of foreign trade
economic activities towards the sea of Chinese traders show the important role of the
marine economy. Thereby, they also suggest new research directions on marine
archaeology.

Supervisors PhD Candidate

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hau Dr. Truong Hoang Truong Vo Thi Anh Tuyet