Huong The Communal House Historical - Artistic Relic

Huong The Communal House, also known as Lac Trung A Communal House (to distinguish it from Lac Trung B Communal House), is located at alley 121, Kim Nguu Street, Vinh Tuy Ward, Hanoi. Both communal houses worship the same village tutelary god with the title Thien Than; through the dynasties, the god always secretly protected and guarded the people, so he was honored as a Supreme Deity.
Huong The Communal House was founded during the Nguyen dynasty and has undergone several restorations and repairs in 1952, 1994, and 2006. In the past, Huong The Communal House was made of ironwood with large, sturdy rows of columns, including a front worship hall and a rear sanctuary; in front was the communal house pond with many large ancient trees, beside it was Tho Xuong Temple of Literature, and on the left was the palanquin house (also called Tao Xa house). During the resistance war against the French (1946 - 1954), the relic deteriorated and was damaged. The communal house currently has a small architectural scale, the result of the 1994 restoration, including: the ceremonial gate, and the main architecture with a 'Nhi' character-style structure comprising a three-bay main hall and a three-bay rear sanctuary. It is within an enclosed area surrounded by walls.
The communal house still preserves a number of relics such as: the throne and statue of the village tutelary god, 5 Nguyen-dynasty royal edicts (copies) from the 6th Tu Duc year (1853) to the 31st Tu Duc year (1878), 3 horizontal plaques, 6 pairs of couplets, 1 set of eight treasures, 1 set of eight-bearer palanquin, 2 incense altars, 1 pair of worship cranes... all bearing the artistic style of the Nguyen dynasty. Every year, on two Spring - Autumn occasions, the 12th day of the 2nd lunar month and the 12th day of the 8th lunar month, the villagers organize a festival with incense offerings, ceremonies, and palanquin processions to show respect to the village tutelary god who helped the country and the people.
Huong The Communal House not only has architectural and artistic value but also carries revolutionary historical value. This place was a gathering point for the people, the Red Self-Defense Force, and national salvation workers participating in a rally to seize power at the Opera House Square on August 19, 1945. During the resistance war against the French colonialists from December 19, 1946 to February 17, 1947, the communal house was a first-aid station and transit point for wounded soldiers and resistance cadres, a place where the Capital Self-Defense Force concealed weapons and trained shooting for national salvation self-defense teams in the Lo Duc area.
In 2010, Huong The Communal House was recognized as a City-level Historical - Artistic Relic, and in 2011 the Hanoi city authorities installed a plaque marking it as a memorial site for revolutionary resistance events.