Cong Xuyen Communal House

Cong Xuyen Communal House, now in Thuong Phuc Commune, Hanoi City, is an ancient architectural work of imposing scale, deeply imbued with historical, cultural and artistic values. In the early 19th century, Cong Xuyen village was named Truong Xuyen, belonging to Dong Cuu Canton, Thuong Phuc District, Thuong Tin Prefecture, Son Nam Thuong Region.

The communal house worships many deities, including three celestial deities, the patron saint of masons, and Tran dynasty general Pham Ngu Lao (1255–1320), along with the great kings Loc Thanh Ton Than, Hoang Te Dai Vuong, and Hoang Do Dai Vuong. Cong Xuyen has long been famous for its traditional masonry craft. Every year, the 10th day of the first lunar month is chosen by local people as the day to commemorate the craft’s patron saint. The communal house still preserves a lacquer painting dedicated to the craft’s patron saint, dating back hundreds of years and displaying distinctive artistic value.

The communal house complex includes the Nghi Mon (ceremonial gate), Phuong Dinh (square pavilion), Dai Bai (main hall), Hau Cung (rear sanctuary), and two ranges, Ta Mac (left wing) and Huu Mac (right wing). The reliefs, paintings, and carvings were executed elaborately, featuring many folk themes and classical allusions such as “Eight Immortals,” “Seventy-two Sages,” carp, nghê (mythical lion-like creature), wine gourds, poem bags…

Notably, the Dai Bai hall was built during the Le dynasty. A wooden panel in the right side aisle records its construction in the 14th year of Vinh Thinh (1718). The structure consists of five bays and two side aisles, with a system of large columns and wooden structures characteristic of traditional village communal house architecture.

With outstanding historical, architectural, and artistic values, Cong Xuyen Communal House was ranked as an architectural and artistic relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1993.