Chung Phuc Lam Communal House

Chung Phuc Lam Communal House is located in the central position of Phuc Lam Village, Phuc Lam Commune, former My Duc District (now Phuc Lam Trung Village, Phuc Son Commune). Chung Phuc Lam Communal House was recognized by the People's Committee of Ha Tay Province as a historical and cultural relic in Decision No. 1958 dated December 21, 2005. The communal house was built to worship three deities as the common tutelary gods of the region: the celestial deity Am Phu Hien Ung Que Hoa Princess, together with two human deities who rendered great service to the people and the country, Great Saint Do Lang (Hao Chau Ho Quoc Dai Vuong) and Second Saint Thien Sy (Ho Quoc Cong Than Do Doc Dai Vuong). In the past, this was the common communal house of the entire Phuc Lam Canton, with one of the most imposing architectural scales in the region. Through many vicissitudes of time and war, the communal house was rebuilt by local people on its old foundation to continue tradition and commemorate the merits of ancestors.

Chung Communal House faces southwest and brings together all the criteria and components of a traditional Vietnamese architectural work. The overall space includes a Nghi Mon gate with ornamental pillars and three passages, a square communal pond creating yin-yang harmony, a scroll-shaped screen embossed with the character "Longevity" to block impurities, and a system of ancient brick courtyards. The Dai Bai main worship hall consists of three main bays and two side compartments, with four gracefully curved roof corners; the roof ridge is decorated with two dragons flanking the moon and two makara dragons holding the ridge. The roof-supporting truss of the Dai Bai is structured in the style "Upper gong frame, transmission beams, lower armpit beams, and rear eave brackets" on four rows of solid column bases. Connected across the ceremonial yard is the two-tier, four-roofed Rear Hall (Hau Cung), with a three-tier altar base arranged with a dragon throne, memorial tablets, and solemn statues of the saints. Despite many ups and downs, Chung Communal House still retains the characteristic Nguyen-era architecture; it is both a sacred place of worship for the deities who protect the country and bring peace to the people, and a space for cultural and spiritual activities that binds the local community.