//
Formed in the sixteenth century, Thanh Ha Pottery Village is one of the oldest pottery villages in Vietnam. This village is located right on the banks of Thu Bon River, about 3 km from Hoi An ancient town. Over five centuries, Thanh Ha pottery village still preserves its traditional pottery-making process, which manually shapes pottery by hand and foot pedal without using molds. This method creates a unique feature in this village’s ceramic products. Nowadays, Thanh Ha ceramic products are mainly used for decoration and display purposes.
Chua Cau or Lai Vien Kieu
The bridge was constructed in the early 1600s by the Japanese community, roughly 40 years before they left the city to return to Japan under the strict policy of sakoku enforced by the Tokugawa Shogunate, and renovated in 1986. Today, it's the symbol of Hoi An. Entry is one coupon, but it's possible to cross back and forth several times without meeting a ticket-checker. If your scruples bother you, leave a tribute for the pig statue or the dog statue standing guard at opposite ends of the bridge.
Founded in the 15th century, this temple is dedicated to Quan Cong, a Chinese general who is remembered and worshipped for his qualities of loyalty, integrity and justice. Statues of him and several others are inside the temple.
The museum contains some old black and white photos of Hoi An taken in the early 20th century. It also houses an old cannon, some two-thousand year old pots from the Sa Huynh period, and a case full of 9th-century bricks and tiles from the Champa period.
Some may be put off by the bizarre-looking plaster sculptures of Vietnamese peasants, but this museum documents the dress and culture of rural Vietnam.
The museum's main collection consists of pottery and urns from the 1st and 2nd centuries. Upstairs is another museum, the Museum of the Revolution. Its main collection consists of pictures from war heroes and a collection of weapons such as grenade launchers, machine guns and AK 47s.
The dusty, unlabeled displays of broken pottery are eminently forgettable, but the house itself is nice enough, and it provides a good opportunity to explore the shape and layout of an old Hoi An home.