Dan Nhiem Temple, Dan Nhiem Village, Thuong Tin Commune, Hanoi City

According to the Than pha (deity genealogy) compiled by Nguyen Binh, Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, in the first year of Hong Phuc (1572), and copied under orders by Nguyen Hien, Manager of the Hundred Deities at the Temple, currently kept at the communal house, Dan Nhiem Communal House worships Quy Minh Dai Vuong.

Legend has it that in the reign of the 18th Hung King, there was a clan chief named Tuan Xuong, whose wife was Pham Thi Huong. The family was wealthy and virtuous, devoted to doing good, and was therefore loved by the local people. On the 10th day of the first lunar month in the Year of the Dragon, they gave birth to a handsome, intelligent, and elegant son, and named him Quy Minh. As he grew, Quy Minh became increasingly skilled in both literature and martial arts and was filial to his parents.

At that time, enemies invaded Van Lang, and the Hung King issued an edict calling on talented people to help the country. Hearing this, Quy Minh asked to go fight the invaders. The king appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the great army. He led campaigns east and north, winning many victories. When he and the main army reached the area of Dan Nhiem Commune, Boi Khe Canton, Thanh Oai District, he let the soldiers rest. Seeing that this was a land with beautiful spiritual energy, he set up a military camp and spent one hundred quan of money for the people to build a living shrine and ordered soldiers to clear 50 mau of fields to distribute to the poor, called the Quan field. After he died, the people of Dan Nhiem Village honored Quy Minh Dai Vuong as the village tutelary god.

The communal house stands on a mound along the bank of the Nhue River. Going from the outside in, Dan Nhiem Communal House consists of Nghi Mon, Dai Bai, and Hau Cung. The Dai Bai building is like a large boat 15.7 m long with four gracefully curved, soaring corner roofs. The roof is decorated with a kìm creature whose mouth holds the two ends of the roof ridge, its tail curving like a wheel of reincarnation. In the middle of the roof ridge is a statue group of two dragons facing the sun, adding to the solemn beauty of the relic. Dai Bai is divided into five bays with four rows of round wooden columns. The roof trusses are made in the stacked beam style; the side trusses are carved elaborately and vividly. Especially, the four panels in the two trusses of the central bay are carved with sacred creatures depicting the scene “four sacred animals turning the bowl” or the theme “fish and dragon playing in water”. The backs of the panels are embossed with stylized flowers and leaves such as apricot, bamboo, and pine transforming into dragons. On the bodies and ends of the side beams, artisans also decorated motifs of flowers, leaves, dragon flowers, phoenix tree leaves, and latte leaves... with soft, graceful lines. Beyond Dai Bai is Hau Cung. This is a longitudinal building, with trusses made in the style of kèo cầu quá giang, tending toward smooth planing and close fitting. Based on the architectural structure and decoration, it can be affirmed that Dan Nhiem Communal House is an ancient architectural work in the Nguyen style.

Currently, Dan Nhiem Communal House still preserves many valuable artifacts made of various materials, especially the Than pha (deity genealogy), 7 royal edicts, the oldest dating from the 6th year of Thieu Tri (1846), which are valuable Han-language documentary sources.

Dan Nhiem Communal House is also where the village's traditional festival takes place, from the 11th to the 15th day of the second lunar month. In addition to rituals, ví singing, and folk games, there is a palanquin procession for friendly exchange between Dan Nhiem Village (Quan Em) and Hoang Xa Village (Quan Anh). On the fourth day of the village festival, in the communal house yard, the giáp (village groups) still carry sacrificial pigs out to compete. The pigs are pure black, washed clean, and kept in bamboo cages. The pig of whichever giáp is largest and best-looking wins a prize. After that, the giáp slaughter the pigs to make offerings for competition. Therefore, the Dan Nhiem village festival is jubilant and bustling, attracting many visitors from everywhere to attend and worship at the relic site.