Fodor's Expert Review Old House of Tan Ky

One of the oldest and best-preserved private houses in Hoi An, this structure has remained largely unchanged in the 200 years since it was built in 1741. Seven generations of the Tan Ky family have lived here. The house incorporates Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese styles. Chinese poetry is engraved in mother-of-pearl on the walls, each character formed in the shape of birds in various stages of flight. Look up into the eaves and you will see symbols of dragons, fruit, crossed sabers, and silk intricately carved into the wooden framework. The back door was constructed to open onto the river so that waterborne goods could be easily transported into the house; look out for the marks etched in to the wall recording the height of the annual flood waters.