Walking through Hoi An's old town, you'll sometimes come across a building that's neither a temple nor a house \u2014 one with a heavy tiled roof and an imposing gate. It's what's called a \u201c\u0111\u00ecnh\u201d in Vietnamese, a communal meeting house. One of these, a \u0111\u00ecnh more than 200 years old at 27 Le Loi Street, transformed into an exhibition space for bamboo craft and coconut-paper artisan works on August 15-16, 2026. During this two-day event titled \u201cHoi An through Old Eyes,\u201d an old building that most people usually walk right past became, for a moment, a destination worth building into an itinerary. For Japanese travelers revisiting Hoi An, it's a clue to another face of the old town beyond lanterns and tailor shops.<\/p>\n
The venue was the \u0111\u00ecnh at 27 Le Loi Street in the Hoi An district. Built in the 18th century, it's well over 200 years old by that measure. Following administrative changes, Hoi An is now treated as part of Da Nang, the major city of central Vietnam. It's one of the town's leading cultural heritage buildings and has served as the stage for milestone events before. This time, photo panels and handmade works were brought inside, combining a craft exhibition titled \u201cArt from the Hands of Hoi An\u201d with a roundtable discussion on heritage. The organizers framed the event's aim not as putting heritage on a display shelf, but as keeping it alive through continued use by residents.<\/p>\n
It's an easy point for Japanese travelers to misunderstand, but a \u0111\u00ecnh is not a Buddhist temple. It's a shared facility enshrining the village's guardian spirit (th\u00e0nh ho\u00e0ng) or the founders of the village, where villagers gather for festivals and meetings. Think of it as something between a Shinto shrine and a community hall \u2014 traditionally placed at the heart of the village as its most prestigious building. The curve of the roof, the woodwork, and the character of the enshrined spirit all vary by region, so each one has its own distinct character. In a port town like Hoi An, such communal facilities also became a meeting point for people drawn together by trade.<\/p>\n
The move to open up \u0111\u00ecnh as tourist destinations is now spreading in various places. In Tay Ninh, 90km from Ho Chi Minh City,A 140-Year-Old Communal Shrine Has Been Developed Into a Third Tourist Destination<\/a>is one such example. A \u0111\u00ecnh that was once a place of prayer and gathering is being kept in use by residents while also opened to travelers. Placed within that trend, the purpose of Hoi An's two-day event becomes clearer. Rather than simply showing off an old box of a building, the point was to show the people working with their hands inside it.<\/p>\n The exhibition's core was the work of three local artisans: bamboo craftsman Vo Thanh Thanh, Truong Thanh To, who makes paper from coconut fiber, and painter Van Tri. Making paper from coconut is an idea unfamiliar in Japan, but it's a craft unique to this area, born from local materials and handiwork around Hoi An. Both the technique of splitting and weaving bamboo and the work of painting the town's scenery came alive by being shown inside a historic building, forging a connection between the works and the place. True to the title \u201cHoi An through Old Eyes,\u201d the photo panels lined up scenes of the town before it became today's tourist destination, letting visitors overlay them onto the present-day streets. The organizers put forward the line \u201cheritage truly lives only when a community cares for it, practices it, and passes it on,\u201d placing the emphasis less on admiring finished pieces and more on showing the hands that make them. The roundtable discussion, too, was organized as a conversation aimed at keeping heritage from being confined to museum displays. For Japanese travelers, whether they get to witness an artisan working with their hands in person is what decides whether an event like this is worth building into an itinerary.<\/p>\n This particular event ran for just two days, but the \u0111\u00ecnh on Le Loi Street itself is within walking distance of the old town. If you're touring Hoi An's historic streets, it's efficient to combine it with a banh mi tour, the town's signature food. Here's what to keep in mind for planning your trip.<\/p>\n When people picture Hoi An, it's usually the classic image of night lanterns and floating lights on the river. But just as the \u0111\u00ecnh at 27 Le Loi Street opened its doors to an artisan showcase for only two days, it's in these small events held inside old buildings that what this town has preserved really shows through. Next time you visit Hoi An, it's worth pausing at the notices posted at assembly halls and \u0111\u00ecnh in the old town. If you happen to catch a limited-run exhibition or festival, you'll come away with a photo very different from the usual lantern shot.<\/p>\nBamboo, Coconut Paper, Painting \u2014 Why Three Artisans Shared the Space<\/h2>\n
Practical Notes for Fitting Hoi An's Historic Buildings Into Your Itinerary<\/h2>\n
\n
Another Side to the Town of Lanterns<\/h2>\n
Sources<\/h3>\n