Hainan Assembly Hall

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 like Da Nang.

Very well maintained, quiet, with an interesting narrative about the wrongful execution of a group of sailors. Was especially interesting watching an artist making one of the wall decorations

This is one of the many assembly halls of Chinese origin in downtown Hoi An. These were the important places for the Chinese merchants to worship and base their activities in the 16th and 17th centuries. This is worth a visit and it will not take much time.

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 the lottery.

Came here on 6th august 2025 around 7.45am. And it was closed for some renovation work. When we peeped to see whether we are allowed inside, lady here shooed us off and closed the gate. We only peeped because the gate was open.

Personally, this was my favorite historical site in Hoi An. The lady attendant was very friendly and nice. And there were no other tourists. The back square is still being renovated, but the rest of the site is absolutely wonderful!

Actually, I enjoyed this more than the Hokkian assembly hall. It is quiet and traditional. The gatekeeper, who thought us from same origin (yes and no, we are not from Hainan but a place nearby), showed us around with passion. It's apparent that this hall is built and decorated with overflowing nostalgia. It's an impressive and touching place to end our day in Hoi An here.

Beautiful calmer community hall outside of the tourist "madness" in the old town, open until evening. It's worth a visit in my opinion. Just be careful and stay away from the snack vendor on the opposite side of the street. She tried to scam and charge us overpriced grilled rice paper (Banh trang nuong) just because I spoke a different Vietnamese accent, imagine what would happen to foreign tourist when she is not questioned? Best thing to do is to avoid places without listed price in Hoi An