Hainan Assembly Hall — Attraction in Hội An

Picture this: a historic site so charming it makes a Disney castle look like a garden shed. But the real kicker? The gate attendant. This bloke was so passionate about the place, he could’ve made a tax return sound exciting.

He took us on a mini tour, and his enthusiasm was so over-the-top, it was like he’d just discovered the last piece of a 1,000-piece puzzle. His knowledge was impressive, and his storytelling? Let’s just say he could turn a history lesson into a blockbuster movie.

If you’re in Hoi An, don’t just breeze past the Hainan Assembly Hall. Pop in, and if you’re lucky, you might get the tour of a lifetime from this incredibly passionate guide.

It’s worth it just to see someone talk about ancient architecture with the kind of fervor usually reserved for winning...

This assembly hall was built back in 1875 (or maybe 1883) in memory of 108 local merchants who were killed at sea. They were murdered by a bunch of guys working for a corrupt naval commander. He had seized three merchant ships back in 1851 and then repainted them black to make it look like they had been captured from pirates.

Luckily, one sailor survived and managed to get the whole story to Emperor Tu Duc. The emperor was so mad he ordered the officers responsible to be executed and gave all the stolen stuff back to the families of the victims. Later on, this hall was built in their honor, along with other similar halls in places...

Our visit was on 21st Feb 24, morning time.

In this religious establishment, an elderly individual assumed the role of manager and consistently peddled lucky items, such as "lộc - xu may mắn" (lucky coins), to visitors. The commercialization of this sacred space, compounded by the requirement to purchase tickets for entry and the feeling of being deceived, undermines the reverence for the divine and erodes visitors' respect for the sanctity of the site.

I believe governmental intervention to regulate and restrict profit-driven practices like these...