The smallest and most sombre of Hoi An's Chinese assembly halls, tucked on Tran Phu Street. Built in 1851 to honour 108 Hainanese traders wrongly executed by the Vietnamese emperor, the hall has an elegance that belies its size — the altar screens and decorative roof ridges are among the finest in town. Worth a few minutes if you are doing the assembly hall circuit.
Hainan Assembly Hall
Hall commemorating 108 Hainanese merchants killed by order of Emperor Minh Mang
A story
The hall was built to mourn 108 Hainanese merchants who were executed on the orders of Emperor Minh Mang in 1851, mistakenly identified as pirates. Their spirits are enshrined here, and the hall remains both a place of worship and a memorial to one of the more tragic episodes of the trading era.