The most popular ancient pagoda in Hoi An, with 500 giant incense sticks that burn for 30 days

Located on Tran Phu Street, Phuc Kien Assembly Hall (also known as Phuc Kien Pagoda) is one of the favorite stops for domestic and foreign tourists when visiting Hoi An ancient town.

This is the largest and oldest assembly hall in Hoi An, built in 1690 by people from Fujian (China) who moved to Hoi An to live and build.

According to the Quang Nam Tourism Promotion Center, the assembly hall was made entirely of wood and was rebuilt in 1757 with bricks and a tiled roof as it is today.

Tam Quan is covered with yin-yang tiles with a curved roof, decorated with winding dragons and on both sides are a pair of stone lions, symbolizing authority and solemnity.

Above the Tam Quan gate is written Kim Son Tu. On both sides of the gate are Mr. Nhat and Mrs. Nguyet. These are two gods representing heaven and earth, yin and yang.

From the Tam Quan gate, visitors can see three main entrances, each with its own meaning, respectively Heaven, Earth, and Human.

A representative of the Fujian Assembly Hall Management Board said that every day this place welcomes thousands of visitors, the most crowded are on holidays, Tet, full moon days and the first day of every month.

Unlike traditional pagodas in Vietnam that usually worship Buddha Tam The and have monks practicing, this place worships Thien Hau Thanh Mau and the guardian gods of rivers, water, money, children...

To enter the assembly hall, visitors will have to go through a large garden and an ancient main door. In the vestibule, there is also a set of stone tables used as a meeting place and for business discussions by ancient Fujian merchants.

At the assembly hall, there are 500 unique incense rings hanging in the air from the entrance to the main hall. Visitors can buy incense rings and write down their wishes and aspirations on paper. The managers will then hang the incense up high as a prayer to the gods.

The special thing is that the incense can burn for up to 30 days. After the incense has burned out, people in the guild will burn pieces of paper with your wishes written on them.

Every year, on the first day of the first lunar month and Thien Hau's day (23rd day of the third lunar month), many festival activities will take place at the assembly hall.

In 1990, the Fujian Assembly Hall was recognized as a national historical and cultural relic.

After many restorations, the pagoda still retains its characteristic ancient Chinese architectural style, contributing to creating a unique highlight for the ancient town of Hoi An, while attracting a large number of people and tourists to come and pray for peace, visit and take photos.