Hạ Trại Pagoda

The Hạ Trại communal house–pagoda complex faces southwest and is located on an open, spacious area in the middle of the village, surrounded by a densely populated residential area, with fertile alluvial land in front. This complex was founded around the Nguyễn dynasty; Hạ Trại Communal House is where the village tutelary deity Lã Lang Đường, with the title Lã Đường Lam Đế Vũ Đại Vương—one of the generals who helped Đinh Bộ Lĩnh quell the rebellion of the 12 warlords in the 10th century—is worshipped. In addition, another tutelary deity, Đức Án Cộng, is also worshipped here; legend says he always provided unseen protection so the people could live in peace and have good harvests.

Due to historical circumstances, Hạ Trại Communal House was once destroyed to serve the scorched-earth resistance policy. In 2009, the communal house was restored in the traditional architectural style. In front of the communal house there is an ancient well along with a screen and garden. The main structures of the communal house include: the ceremonial gate, the main worship hall with three bays and two side wings, the central hall with three bays and two side compartments, and the rear sanctuary with three bays. Inside the communal house, the roof trusses are made in the “thượng giá chiêng chồng rường, bẩy hiên” style, along with trusses carved in the “quá giang trốn cột” style, with simple floral decoration.

Every year, the people of Hạ Trại village hold a traditional festival from the 11th to the 12th day of the second lunar month to express gratitude for the merits of their ancestors. Offerings to the village tutelary deities include fruit, cakes, and savory offerings, placed respectively in the rear sanctuary, main worship hall, and central hall. The savory offerings must include a tray of glutinous rice and a pig's head. In addition to traditional rituals maintained for generations, the festival also features folk games such as tug-of-war, duck catching, and pot smashing.

Hạ Trại Pagoda is next to the communal house and includes: a three-entrance gate, a nine-tier stupa, the front hall, the upper sanctuary, the Patriarch's House, and the Mother Goddess House. The structures inside the pagoda follow traditional architecture, with roof trusses of the “kèo cầu quá giang trốn cột” type. The relics at the pagoda are reflected through its system of Buddha statues.

During the resistance wars against the French and the Americans, Hạ Trại communal house–pagoda was a secret operating site for guerrilla forces and an evacuation point for the Air Defense–Air Force. In the rear sanctuary east of the communal house there is a secret bunker where revolutionary cadres were sheltered.

In 2015, the Hạ Trại communal house–pagoda complex was ranked as a city-level historical relic.