Ha Communal House (My Duc Commune)

Ha Communal House, also known as Song Communal House, is an ancient spiritual architectural work located in an extremely favorable and poetic position in Phu Luu Te Ha Village, My Duc Commune. The communal house stands on a high strip of land right at the bend where the Day River and the Nghanh River mouth converge, creating a rare feng shui position of "water encircling the front path, converging rivers gathering the dragon", facing southeast to receive prosperity energy and foster wealth. Associated with history since the late 15th century, Ha Communal House carries legends about relocating the site according to the advice of a geomancer to avert natural disasters and bring peace to the villagers. Through a large-scale major restoration under King Minh Mang, the communal house was elevated to a grander scale with a full ceremonial gate, front shrine, and Van Chi house, together with the image of a banyan tree and a water wharf, evoking a typical Vietnamese rural cultural space. The distinctive highlight of the communal house is the sacred rear palace chamber worshiping the tutelary deity "Thuy Ha Quan Con Long Van Hai Dai Vuong", who many times manifested to help the villagers overcome disasters. With a system of ancient horizontal plaques and couplets exquisitely restored to praise the merits of the deities and the beauty of the landscape, Ha Communal House is not only a symbol of faith but also a ranked historical relic, fully preserving the cultural identity of the community of residents along the Day River.