Chua Cau in Hoi An

Existing for over four centuries, Chua Cau (the Pagoda Bridge) is one of the most iconic attractions in the ancient town of Hoi An.

Chua Cau is considered the “heart” of the ancient town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam. It is a beautiful historical piece, featuring the cultural and architectural exchange between Vietnam and Japan. It was built near the Hoai River in the 17th century with donations from Japanese merchants. Therefore, Chua Cau is also called “The Japanese Bridge”.

Japanese legend has it that there was a monster in the sea namely Mamazu. Its head was in Japan, its tail in India and its back crossed Hoi An. The sea monster often caused earthquakes in Japan and Hoi An also was not peaceful. To constrain the monster, the Japanese built the bridge to worship the genies of monkeys and dogs at the two bridgeheads and the bridge was considered a sword plunging into the back of the Mamazu monster that made it unable to wave its tail, causing earthquakes.

The bridge has special architecture with a wooden pagoda roofed with yin-yang tiles on one side. At the main entrance of Chua Cau, there is a large plate embossed with three Chinese letters; “Lai Yuan Qiao”, meaning “The Welcoming Bridge”. This name was chosen by Lord Nguyen Phuc Chu during his visit to Hoi An in 1719.

Chua Cau, one of the relics with distinctive architecture, was built in the 17th century and is considered the “heart” of the ancient town of Hoi An.