Kim Ngan Communal House

Kim Ngan Communal House, located at 42-44 Hang Bac Street, is one of the important sites worshipping the patron saints of the goldsmithing trade in Hanoi's Old Quarter. The communal house currently has two floors; the first floor worships the goldsmithing patron Luu Xuan Tin, and the second floor worships Xuanyuan Huangdi, the patron of all crafts.

Luu Xuan Tin was Minister of Personnel under King Le Thanh Tong (1442-1497). During his lifetime, after returning from a diplomatic mission to China, he was allowed by the king to open a silver ingot casting workshop for the court. He brought people from his native village, Chau Khe village (formerly Trau Khe, renamed Chau Khe at the end of the Le dynasty, now An Khanh commune, Hai Phong city), to open the silver casting workshop. According to Nguyen Vinh Phuc, the casting place was called a 'trang,' and the place where products were gathered for the official office to be submitted to the court was the 'dinh.' In addition to casting coins, this street also had the trade of money changing, exchanging copper coins, zinc coins, and silver scraps into silver ingots and vice versa. As work increased, the Chau Khe people invited gold and silver craftsmen from Dinh Cong (formerly in Thanh Tri district, Hanoi, now Dinh Cong ward, Hanoi city) and goldsmiths from Dong Xam (formerly in Hong Thai commune, Kien Xuong district, Thai Binh province, now Tra Giang commune, Hung Yen province) to work together to meet market demand.

The people of Chau Khe who went to Thang Long to settle established two communal houses worshipping the tutelary deity Xuanyuan Huangdi - the patron of all crafts of China: one was Kim Ngan Trang Thi (also called Truong Thi communal house, the upper communal house, at 50 Hang Bac Street), where goldsmithing products were made; the other was Kim Ngan Dinh Thi (also called the lower communal house, at 42-44 Hang Bac Street), where crafted goldsmithing products were traded. When the Nguyen dynasty ruled and the capital moved to Hue, the coin casting workshop also moved there. However, money changing and the buying, selling, and exchanging of gold and silver still took place busily on Hang Bac Street as before, so the French called Hang Bac Street 'Rue des Changeurs' (Street of Money Changers). Today, in less than 500 meters, Hang Bac Street has hundreds of shops crafting goldsmithing products and selling gold and silver handicrafts.

For a long time after the capital was taken over (1954), Kim Ngan Communal House (the lower communal house) was used as housing for 34 households. From 2009, with technical support from the city of Toulouse (French Republic), the Hanoi Old Quarter Management Board relocated the households and restored the communal house by retaining as much as possible the space and structural components of the communal house remaining at that time. In 2011, the restoration and renovation of Kim Ngan Communal House was completed. Currently, Kim Ngan Communal House has a main hall three bays wide and a rear sanctuary three bays wide. The communal house still preserves many exquisite carved motifs created by the former goldsmith guilds. Meanwhile, Truong Thi Communal House (the upper communal house) now has only the rear sanctuary on the second floor at the back; the front and first floor of the building at this address are the residence and Bao Anh gold and silver trading shop.

After Luu Xuan Tin died, the people of the goldsmithing guild in Hang Bac worshipped him as the patron of the trade. His altar is currently placed on the first floor of Kim Ngan Communal House.

The rear sanctuary is designed with stepped, raised levels and is the place where Xuanyuan Huangdi is worshipped.

In October 2012, Kim Ngan Communal House was ranked as a National Monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Today, Kim Ngan Communal House is not only a monument of historical, cultural, and architectural value but also an attraction for visitors exploring Hanoi's Old Quarter. It is a venue for traditional craft performances, festivals, and cultural events, thereby contributing to the preservation and promotion of heritage values in modern times. These activities attract the interest of both local residents and domestic and international visitors. Visitors here can learn about the history of the goldsmithing trade, participate in cultural activities, watch craft demonstrations, and better understand the connection between traditional crafts and contemporary urban space. Regular exhibitions at the communal house focus on the history of the communal house or other exhibitions on handicrafts such as goldsmithing, bamboo and rattan weaving, or folk paintings.

On weekend evenings, there are artistic performances on the sidewalk of Hang Bac Street right in front of the communal house, attracting the interest of many visitors touring the Old Quarter.

In October 2012, Kim Ngan Communal House was officially recognized as a National Monument.