If you are in Quang Nam Province’s Hoi An Ancient Town and want to look for a place to stop after a few rounds of walking, the Chu An café is the perfect place to stop for delicious drinks and interesting stories.

A corner of the Chu An café

Nestled at 136 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, the venue has become a firm favourite among locals and tourists due to its special architectural design and an interesting historical story about it.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga - the owner of the coffee shop, the name of the venue is based on the historical story of the Chau An Boat, a Japanese merchant ship that crossed the sea to Hoi An to trade in the first half of the 17^th century.

It is said that, in 1593, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, after unifying Japan, issued a policy about establishing friendship relations with neighbouring countries through the maritime route.

He granted a special passport, called Goshuinjo, that allowed Japanese armed merchant sailing ships bound for other countries, including Viet Nam, to conduct trading activites. This is a type of "permit with a red seal" associated with the ‘Shuinsen’ (Red-seal ships) regime issued by the early Tokugawa shogunate in the first half of the 17^th century.

The trade policy between Japan and Lord Nguyen Hoang opened a flourishing period, and at the same time created Japanese cultural and architectural highlights in the land of Hoi An.

Inspired by this story, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga designed her café in the shape of a boat. The outside space of the venue features oars, and the bar counter has the shape of the bow of the boat heading out to the river.

Most notably, decorative items at the coffee shop are made from old wood tinged with time. Especially, the rudder of the old boat which was searched and collected by the owner is placed in the middle of the place as it reminds the story of the river life of the ancient Hoi An residents.

Chu An has 2 floors. Its upper floor provides a warm space like a boat for customers, and the outside is a balcony overlooking the Hoai River. Visitors sitting on the balcony can admire the beauty of the An Hoi Bridge at night, and enjoy ‘bai choi’ (singing while acting as playing cards) performances.

The ground floor is delicately decorated with a bit of an old Japanese street style with some paintings in the Shuin-sen Kochi toko zukan (Chau an thuyen Giao Chi do hang do quyen). It impresses guests with classical architecture with simple wooden tables and chairs.

One of the most highlights of Chu An is its position at the road junction of Bach Dang, Nguyen Thai Hoc and Chau Thuong Van streets connecting to the An Hoi Bridge and the Cau Pagoda - Vietnamese - Japanese cultural symbols in Hoi An.

With the diverse menu as well as a range of locally produced goodies, Chu An is an ideal for hangouts.

Reporting by HUYNH LE - Translating by M.DUNG