Pho Hien

In the seventeenth century Pho Hien was the port of the north, where Chinese, Japanese, Dutch and English traders had factories and where foreign ships stopped because they were not permitted up to the capital - the phrase remembered in Vietnamese is that first comes the capital, second comes Pho Hien. Then the river shifted its course, the anchorage silted, the trade went elsewhere and the town became a provincial one. What survives is a set of temples and pagodas from the trading period, several of them founded by the Chinese community, and merchant houses, scattered through modern Hung Yen rather than as a single quarter.

Background

Phố Hiến lies in Hưng Yên province and was one of Vietnam's main international trading posts and settlements from the 16th to the 17th century. It stood on what was once the bank of the Red River, which has since moved away, and its old buildings, temples and relics are spread across 20 wards of the former trading post. It has been one of Vietnam's Special National Sites since December 31, 2014, and since July 2025 the area has formed the central ward of Hưng Yên province.

Source: Wikipedia, "Hiến Town"

What to look for

• The north's great port of the 1600s - second only to the capital.
• Foreign factories - Chinese, Japanese, Dutch and English.
• Left inland by the river - which shifted and silted the anchorage.
• Temples from the trading years - several founded by Chinese merchants.

When to go

Year round; the Mau temple festival is in the third lunar month. Half a day.

Before you go

There is no preserved old quarter - the sites are scattered through a modern provincial city and need looking for. Interpretation is in Vietnamese. It rewards knowing the history rather than arriving cold.

Nearby

Nom village is north; Hanoi is north-west.

Key facts