Duc An Ancient House is located at 129 Tran Phu Street, right in the center of Hoi An ancient town, Quang Nam province.
The building was built in 1830, during the reign of King Minh Mang. The house was left by the Phan family's ancestor to his descendants. Up to now, 8 generations have been born and raised in this house.
"Duc An" means "preserving morality for peace". Duc An is also the name of the Phan family's bookstore, established in the late 19th century, specializing in selling Han Nom books and stationery in Quang Nam province.
Duc An ancient house in Hoi An ancient town (Photo: Ngo Linh).
At that time, anti-French patriots such as Huynh Thuc Khang, Phan Chu Trinh, Tran Quy Cap... often came here to buy and read books with progressive ideas.
In the early 20th century, the patriotic movement against the French took place throughout Quang Nam province and the whole country. Duc An's house continued to become a place to spread patriotism to the people and intellectuals.
In 1908, the anti-tax movement in Quang Nam and the central provinces failed. Duc An Bookstore temporarily stopped operating and switched to selling traditional Chinese medicine.
By 1923, Duc An's house had become a meeting place for patriotic young intellectuals. In October 1927, the Hoi An Association of Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth was established here.
On March 28, 1930, the Provisional Provincial Party Committee announced the establishment of the Quang Nam Provincial Communist Party Committee. Duc An House continued to be the place for communication and meetings of the Party.
Duc An ancient house has Vietnamese architectural style in the shape of tube houses commonly seen in Hoi An in the early 19th century (Photo: Ngo Linh).
Duc An House is also the birthplace of patriot Cao Hong Lanh. He was born in 1906, his real name was Phan Hai Tham, alias Nam Them, the fourth youngest child in the Phan family.
During his activities, he was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison by the French colonialists. He followed the revolution all his life, held many positions in the Party and the State, and was always the pride of the Phan family in Hoi An. In 2008, he passed away in Hanoi .
The overall architecture of Duc An ancient house has many layers with different functions. The first room is the place to display, trade, and preserve the old medicine cabinet system from a long time ago. Next is the place to worship, commemorate, and preserve the images and memorabilia of the patriot Cao Hong Lanh. Finally, there is the courtyard and corridor leading to the living area, the family's residence.
This place also displays and preserves documents about the life of revolutionary Cao Hong Lanh (Photo: Ngo Linh).
The frame of Duc An ancient house is built in the style of a Central Vietnamese house, partly influenced by the architectural style of coastal urban residents. The house is surrounded by solid brick walls and a yin-yang tiled roof. The wooden frame system in front of the house has excellent load-bearing capacity and expands the space.
In particular, all the wood used to build the house is durable Kien Kien wood, only found in Quang Nam and can withstand all impacts of the harsh weather in the Central region.
Mr. Phan Ngoc Tram, the 6th generation descendant of the Phan family, the current owner of Duc An ancient house, shared: "Although there are floods every year and it has undergone several renovations, Duc An ancient house still retains almost intact the cultural values left by our ancestors. The Phan family's descendants will do their best to preserve and maintain this house."
According to the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation, Duc An ancient house is now an attractive tourist destination for domestic and foreign tourists. The house has both historical and cultural values as a unique architectural and artistic relic, preserved almost intact. Duc An is also a famous revolutionary relic in the past in Hoi An.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/kham-pha-ngoi-nha-co-gan-200-tuoi-la-dia-chi-bi-mat-hang-chuc-nam-truoc-20250414163213891.htm
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