Dinh Bang

Dinh Bang in Lien Xuan village, Trung Gia commune, Hanoi city, is a traditional architectural work, a place for cultural and spiritual activities of the local people, and a place of worship for the four village tutelary deities: Cao Son Linh Ung Dai Vuong, Quy Minh Hien Ung Dai Vuong, Son Than Bach Thach Dai Vuong, and Phi Nuong Cong Chua.

Legend records that in the time of Hung Due Vuong, there were two brothers who claimed descent from Lac Long Quan and were reincarnated and born into the Sung family in Dao Ai Chau, present-day Thanh Hoa. Their names were Cao Son and Quy Minh, and they developed in a very extraordinary way: at the age of 3, both understood ritual and righteousness; at 7, they had mastered the classics and histories; and by 13, they had a thorough understanding of military books.

At that time, the chieftain of Ai Lao led troops to invade Van Lang. Due Vuong issued a proclamation throughout the districts and circuits to seek talented people to help.

Hearing that the king had issued an edict seeking worthies, Cao Son and Quy Minh, together with thousands of people, went to the capital to apply. King Hung saw that the two were accomplished in both civil and military matters and deeply learned, so he appointed Cao Son Dai Vuong as commanding officer and left general, and Quy Minh Dai Vuong as commanding officer and right general.

Cao Son Dai Vuong and Quy Minh Dai Vuong, together with Son Thanh, assembled the soldiers and defeated the Ai Lao chieftain, then advanced to establish the capital in the Soc Son mountain area. From then on, the world was at peace and the country had no troubles.

Tradition says that on a beautiful day in the second lunar month, Cao Son and Quy Son Dai Vuong held a banquet inviting their subjects and elders. Then a golden cloud descended from the sky and carried the two up to heaven, into the realm of immortality. The king was deeply grieved and conferred on them the title of superior blessed deities, assigning the districts, circuits, villages, areas, subjects, and Xuan Bang canton to receive their noble titles, build temples for worship, and maintain the cult forever. He also conferred the title Cao Son Linh Ung Dai Vuong and Quy Minh Hien Ung Dai Vuong as deities who save the world, protect the country, and bring peace to the people. Since the foundation to the present, generations of Lien Xuan people have always appointed elders in turn to keep incense and worship. Dinh Bang has been restored and embellished many times, most recently in 2003, 2009, and 2023.

With the historical and artistic values still preserved, on April 18, 2013, the Hanoi City People's Committee decided to rank Dinh Bang Nam Son as a city-level historical and artistic relic.

In 2024, Dinh Bang was invested in for comprehensive restoration and embellishment of the Dinh Bang relic, including the Dai Bai, rear hall, three-entrance gate, incense-burning shelter, technical infrastructure system, yard, garden, enclosing wall, conservation house, auxiliary works, and renovation of the electrical and water supply and drainage systems.with a total investment of more than 19 billion VND, a large, beautiful, and spacious work that still preserves the ancient and dignified architecture of the historical relic.

In terms of location and landscape, Dinh Bang lies in the middle of the fields, facing northeast. Following the field road from the village for about 200 m, one can see the communal house on a high mound. That setting creates a quiet, solemn, and relatively isolated atmosphere, suitable for the function of a traditional religious work.

The communal house is arranged in a Dinh-shaped layout, consisting of two main components: the Dai Bai and the rear hall. This is a familiar layout in traditional village communal house architecture, in which the Dai Bai is the community space for activities and ceremonies, while the rear hall is the sacred place of worship. This division creates a transition from the public space in front to the worship space behind.

The Dai Bai is the main architectural work, a horizontal building with one central bay and two side bays, about 11.5 m long and about 9.9 m wide including the veranda. The work has four curved corner roofs covered with ri tiles; from the yard to the communal house floor there are seven steps. On the roof ridge, the two ends are decorated with stylized spiral finials; in the center is a pair of dragons facing a flaming leaf in a posture of treading on clouds, and below is a row of lemon-flower patterns. The ridge bands bend and then slope gradually toward the four curved roofs, with nghe figures placed at the turning points. The ridge bands are bordered with lemon-flower patterns, and the roof ends are decorated with dragons and phoenixes in the long quai, phuong mom style.

The decorative system on the roof both enhances the beauty of the work and contains familiar symbols in traditional culture. The dragon symbolizes strength and sacred power; the phoenix suggests nobility and spirituality; the nghe signifies guarding and protection. The combination of these images creates a solemn appearance while remaining close to folk art.

In front of the Dai Bai are the veranda system, the low wall, and two pillar structures. The wall is decorated with lemon-flower patterns, and below are images of Vu Dinh and Thien At with the function of guarding the communal house gate. The two pillars have tops decorated with four phoenixes facing inward, below are curved roof edges with lantern panels decorated with the four sacred creatures and four precious plants. The pillar bodies are molded with ridges, lined, and inscribed with pairs of Chinese-character couplets. The system of three folding doors corresponds to the three bays, creating the boundary and transition between the yard, veranda, and interior space.

The architectural frame of the Dai Bai is made of wood, with a tightly organized system of trusses. The corner brackets are decorated with tiger symbols, dragons, and leaf patterns. In the two side bays, the wooden components and dragon-carved brackets create richness for the architectural space. These details both serve a structural function and express aesthetic value and the skill of traditional artisans.

The worship space is concentrated in the central bay of the Dai Bai. High above hangs a horizontal plaque with four Chinese characters: Can khon hien thanh. In the center is an altar with an incense bowl, lamp stands, bronze incense burner, and ritual objects. On both sides are couplets and a pair of cranes standing on turtles, facing each other. On the left side, a palanquin, gong, drum, and four stone steles are still preserved. These artifacts contribute to enriching the historical, religious, and artistic values of the relic.

Behind the Dai Bai is the rear hall, forming the Dinh-shaped layout. The rear hall is a longitudinal one-bay building, about 3.1 m long and 2.9 m wide, with a floor paved with red Bat Trang bricks. The truss is made in the keo ke style resting on two walls; the gable truss is more carefully crafted with dragon-carved y mon. Inside is a worship platform, with the palanquin throne at the central and highest position, and on both sides are two dragon thrones with memorial tablets worshiping Cao Son and Quy Minh Dai Vuong. This arrangement expresses the central position of the two tutelary deities in the religious life of the community.

Overall, the architecture of Dinh Bang is a harmonious combination of ground plan layout, wooden structure, roof form, and decorative art. The images of dragons, phoenixes, nghe, tiger symbols, leaf patterns, together with the system of horizontal plaques, couplets, and ritual objects, form a unified artistic whole. Each detail not only contributes to beautifying the work but also expresses the ancients' conception of the sacred world and the relationship between humans and deities.

If architecture is the tangible value, then the festival and traditional rituals are the elements that create the vitality of Dinh Bang. Every year, the main festival is held from the 9th to the 10th day of the second lunar month to commemorate the merits of the tutelary deities and to pray for their protection and support for the people. Preparation begins on the 1st day of the second lunar month, with specific assignments for elders and those participating in organizing.

Offerings include glutinous rice, oan cakes, flowers and fruit, pork, chicken, and incense. Water for the ceremony is taken from the village well, and a purification ritual is performed according to traditional customs. The oration is delivered by a virtuous and knowledgeable person from the village, with content praising the merits of the tutelary deities and praying for national prosperity, peace for the people, a peaceful village, and prosperous livelihoods.

The festival includes three ceremonies: the nhap tich ceremony, the chinh tich ceremony, and the man tich ceremony. Each takes place in the morning and lasts about two hours, with three rounds of wine and the participation of music, gongs, and drums. Alongside the solemn ritual is the festival portion with folk games such as chess and tug-of-war, creating a joyful atmosphere and strengthening community bonds.

In particular, the festival is an occasion for people from the homeland, whether living near or far, to return, meet, remember their ancestors and the tutelary deities, and together preserve the village customs. Through this, moral values such as remembering the source when drinking water, gratitude to predecessors, and the spirit of community solidarity are passed from generation to generation.

In addition to the main festival, Dinh Bang also maintains many rituals during the year, such as the full moon of the first lunar month, Tet Doan Ngo, the new rice ceremony, and the first and fifteenth days of each month. During Tet Nguyen Dan, there are rituals from the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the year-end ceremony, and New Year's Eve. The communal house is also a place for community activities such as longevity celebrations, village elder ceremonies, celebrations of academic success, and study encouragement. These activities show that the communal house is not only a place of worship but also a shared cultural space closely tied to the life of local residents.

Over many centuries, Dinh Bang has become a witness to history and a place preserving the distinctive cultural values of the people of Trung Gia. From the legend of Cao Son and Quy Minh Dai Vuong and the deities worshiped to the Dinh-shaped architecture, wooden structural system, carving art, stone steles, horizontal plaques, couplets, and ritual objects, all form a heritage whole with historical, cultural, religious, architectural, and artistic value.

With outstanding historical, cultural, religious, and architectural-artistic values, the communal house is not only a place to commemorate the tutelary deities revered by the people through many generations but also a symbol of community spirit, the moral principle of remembering the source when drinking water, and love for the homeland. Preserving Dinh Bang today is also preserving a part of the cultural memory of the Hanoi countryside, so that traditional values continue to be passed on and promoted in the lives of future generations.