The Japanese Covered Bridge

Chua Cau is about eighteen metres of covered timber over a creek that once separated the Japanese and Chinese merchant quarters, and it has been rebuilt many times since it first appeared in the seventeenth century. A tiled roof runs the full length, carried on wooden posts with benches along the sides. Halfway across, a small temple opens off the north wall, dedicated to a northern deity associated with weather and floods. Carved animals guard each end, dogs at one and monkeys at the other. The bridge appears on the twenty thousand dong note, and a restoration completed in 2024 took it apart and put it back with new timber and fresh paint.

What you actually see

• The covered span - a tiled roof over timber posts, with benches and worn boards underfoot.
• The bridge shrine - a small temple opening off the north side, with incense and offerings.
• The guardian animals - carved dogs at one end of the bridge and monkeys at the other.
• The creek frontage - old shophouse walls and lanterns framing the bridge from either bank.

When to go

February to August is the drier half of the year, while October to December brings rain and occasional flooding that puts water across the surrounding lanes. Come at dawn or late at night if you want it without a crowd. Crossing requires a punch on the old town ticket, though the bridge can be seen from both banks for nothing.

Honest expectations

It is very small. Crossing takes twenty seconds and there is a permanent scrum of people photographing it from either side. The 2024 restoration left the paintwork and timber looking new, which drew criticism locally and does reduce the sense of age. Expect to wait your turn for the standard view and to be asked for a ticket at the entrance.

Nearby

Hoi An's shophouse streets, assembly halls and riverside market are all minutes away.