It was built by a large Chinese community that arrived to Hoi An in the late 17th century. These were Ming noblemen, with their retinue, who had to flee China, as the Manchus conquered the country and suppressed the Ming dynasty. The Vietnamese emperor worried about them, but later used them successfully in his campaigns against Cambodia, since the Chinese were well trained warriors. Eventually, they became like all oversea Chinese, Jewish, that is mostly merchants.
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 | Before they boiled us. Actually, no need to boil, the weather will cook you to perfection. |
| Lion and lioness |  |
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| This dragon has five claws, to show that a real Emperor was involved – the Ming Emperor. |  |
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| The Japanese bridge. This one is 300-400 years old, there was a merchant Japanese population in Hoi An, but later they left. The bridge connected to their quarter. |  |
| My luck to cook spring rolls at 90 degrees and 99% humidity. But they taste great straight from the frying pan! | 
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 | Draining spring rolls of excess oil on two chopsticks. |
The Vietnamese celebrate the full moon with lampions everywhere. They set floating lanterns on the river, and eat festive meals.
That particular full moon happened to be Pesah, too.
| Lantern seller. Behind her, many lanterns drift away in the dark. |  |
 | Liliana places the lantern on the river, without looking at me |
| Lampions on the bridge |  |
 | Here you can see the crowds celebrating on the river shore, as the lanterns float away. |
| In the center, the Japanese bridge, illuminated |  |
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| Seashells The hotel was near to the beach, and we actually got there for an hour, I to splosh and Liliana to swim. The water was wonderful, not cold, and not soupy warm as I feared. I reverted to my mental age, and gathered shells, then arranged them – artistically?! | 
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On the sea shore |  |
 | Hotel lily pond |
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| Dragons on the roof |  |
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Nice contrast: |