Tan Ky Old House, with more than 200 years of history, is considered as a “living museum”. Its unique architecture of ancient Hoi An and long-standing traditional cultures have made Tan ky Old House become a household name for many tourists.
Tan Ky Old House is one of the rarest houses that is recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Although this construction was built more than two centuries ago, it can still keep the original beauty of ancient Hoi An. Besides, the old house of Tan Ky is also a special place retaining a variety of priceless antiquity.
1. About Tan Ky old house in Hoi An
If this is the first time you have visited Hoi An, especially the old house of Tan Ky, here is all the information you need to know about Tan Ky old house – a charming destination in Hoi An.
1.1. Location of Tan Ky House
- Address: 101 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An, Quang Nam
The old house of Tan Ky is located at 101 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, which is in Ancient Hoi An Town, and it is about 3 minutes of walking to the Japanese Covered Bridge.
Vehicles are not allowed in Ancient Hoi An Town; therefore, tourists can only visit the old house on foot as well as by bicycle. Moreover, Tan Ky ancient house has a lot of fascinating things to discover. Owing to this reason, travelers should have a tour guide to have the most well-rounded experience.
1.2. A long history of Tan Ky Old House
- Tan Ky old house in Hoi An was built in 1741 as the residence of a 7 generation family, especially, it was the trading place of the local merchants as well as the foreign traders in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- “Tan Ky” is not its original name, it was given by the second generation of this house with the hope of having an appreciative life and business.
- In 1961, the old house of Tan Ky was badly damaged by the enormous flood. Luckily, it still retained the original architecture and valuable antiquity.
- In 1990, the old house was recognized as a World Natural Heritage by UNESCO. However, up to now, Tan Ky ancient house has still been managed by Le’s family. While the family members live on the top floor, the first floor is allowed for tourists to pay a visit.
2. Inside the old house of Tan Ky
Tan Ky old house is well known for its appealing ancient beauty. Paying a visit to the inside of this old house will bring you back to the previous decades with a variety of memorable things about old Hoi An.
2.1. The sophisticated design of Tan Ky Old House
Tan Ky Ancient House was built by famous artisans in Kim Bong carpentry village. The motifs and patterns of the structure of the house are all meticulously made and carry the breath of oriental philosophy. The style of this old house is the combination of three different cultures: Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese.
The main materials to build the house are rare wood, rocks, and floor tiles. The materials were all chosen from famous places. The stone is taken from Thanh Hoa Province, the floor tile is produced from Bat Trang Village.
The combination of three materials has made the characteristic of Tan Ky Old House become extremely special, which is being cool in summer and warm in winter. Besides, the high-quality materials are the main factors that help this old house be well retained after more than 200 years.
The house is built in a typical tubular style of Hoi An Ancient Town, divided into many separate rooms inside. Especially, there is no window but the air is still fresh.
2.2. The valuable antiques in Tan Ky House
Currently, the ancient house of Tan Ky still retains many valuable antiques with high cultural and historical value.
The Confucius Cup is a treasure of the Tan Ky family and is considered a unique antique in Vietnam. In addition, this treasure also tells a meaningful lesson of balancing between richness and happiness. Otherwise, we will lose everything.
In particular, there is also a horizontal lacquered board “Bách Điểu” written in 100 strokes, each stroke is like a bird in flight, which is evaluated by archaeologists to be unique.
Entering the first room of the old house, you will see many antiques and sailing ships models, which are all symbols of the bustling trading port of Hoi An 400 years ago.
In the living room is a space to display priceless antiques. In addition, there are two little corners in the house for the owner to display badges and small, lovely souvenirs for visitors.
Moreover, in the old House of Tan Ky, there are also a variety of valuable antiques from the 18th century, such as the Ty Ba vase, the ancient cigarette pipe, and Chu Dau pottery.
3. Tan Ky House’s opening hours and ticket prices
- Opening hours: 8 AM – 5 PM
- Tickets: 35.000 VND