Đoàn Xá Upper Communal House

1. Type and Ranking: It is a Historical - Artistic Architectural relic. It is ranked as a City/National-level relic according to the current decision of the competent authority [Decision number needs updating].

2. Worshipped Figure and Historical Value

• Divine legend: The communal house worships the local tutelary deity, deities with great merits in protecting the villagers and safeguarding the country and pacifying the people (often belonging to the system of worship of generals from the Đinh dynasty or water deities governing the Đáy River, similar to the belief space of Vĩnh Lộc Hạ Communal House).

• Historical events: Located with its back against the Đáy River dike, Hoàng Dương Communal House was once a secret operating base for revolutionary cadres, a place for meetings, hiding food, and gathering guerrilla militia forces during the two resistance wars against France and the United States.

3. Architectural and Artistic Characteristics

• Dating: The communal house bears the mark of traditional architecture and was heavily restored during the Nguyễn dynasty (19th - early 20th century), with structural changes due to the history of dike building for flood prevention on the Đáy River.

• Layout: Facing the water, the overall complex includes: the communal house yard, the Nghi môn (ceremonial gate), the Tả - Hữu mạc (left and right side halls), and the Đại bái (main worship hall) connected to the Hậu cung (rear sanctuary), forming a Đinh (丁)-shaped architecture.

• Sculptural art: The wooden frame maintains the traditional jointing method. Architectural components (đầu dư, kẻ, bẩy) are carved with the four sacred creatures (dragon, ly, turtle, phoenix) and the four seasons (pine, chrysanthemum, bamboo, apricot) motifs characteristic of Northern Vietnamese folk wood carving art.

4. System of Relics and Antiquities

• Royal edicts: It preserves royal edicts granted by feudal dynasties to recognize the merits of the tutelary deity (the specific number and reign titles are according to the inventory of the ceremonial committee).

• Other artifacts: A rich system of worship objects includes: thrones, spirit tablets, horizontal plaques, couplets, incense tables, ceremonial weapons (chấp kích), eight treasures (bát bửu), and ancient ceramic objects.

5. Worship rituals

• Time: The traditional village festival is held annually in spring to commemorate the birth/death anniversary of the tutelary deity and to pray for favorable weather.

• Rituals: Palankin procession, nam quan sacrifice, and incense offering. Mandatory offerings are agricultural products of the Đáy River bank area (such as sticky rice, pig, and fruit).

6. Protection work and zoning of the relic site

• Zoning: The relic is located between the residential area and the Đáy River dike protection corridor. Protection Zone I includes the entire core space of the communal house [Specific area in m2 needs updating according to the zoning record].

• Current status: The architecture has shown signs of natural deterioration over time. Conservation work requires close coordination between the authorities and the people, complying with the Law on Cultural Heritage and the Law on Dikes.