Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau)

The Japanese Covered Bridge (Chua Cau) is an iconic 17th-century covered bridge in the heart of Hoi An Ancient Town, Da Nang Municipality. Built by the Japanese community around the 1590s to link the Japanese quarter with the Chinese quarter, it spans a small canal connecting Tran Phu and Nguyen Thi Minh Khai streets. Notable for its wooden structure, tiled roof, and small temple shrine, it is a symbol of Hoi An and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visitors can expect a small, ornate wooden covered bridge with a tiled roof spanning a narrow canal in the pedestrian streets of Hoi An Ancient Town. The interior features dark wooden beams, intricate carvings, and a small shrine at the center dedicated to Tran Vo Bac De. Statues of a monkey and a dog guard opposite ends. The bridge is surrounded by historic yellow merchant houses, shops, and cafes, and is illuminated with lanterns in the evening. Access is on foot within the heritage zone.

Constructed around 1593-1595 by the Japanese merchant community in Hoi An to connect the Japanese settlement on one side of the canal with the Chinese quarter on the other. Originally called Lai Vien Kieu, it was built to facilitate trade during Hoi An's period as a major Southeast Asian trading port in the 16th-17th centuries. The small pagoda shrine was added later. The bridge underwent several restorations, most recently a major conservation project completed in 2024.

Considered the symbol of Hoi An and an emblem of historic Japanese-Vietnamese cultural exchange. The bridge combines Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese architectural elements and houses a shrine dedicated to Tran Vo Bac De, a deity associated with weather and protection. It is a central landmark of Hoi An Ancient Town UNESCO World Heritage Site and appears on Vietnam's 20,000 VND polymer banknote.