Kim Quy Communal House

Kim Quy Communal House is a national-level historical relic (ranked in 2000), located in Kim Quy Village, Dai Xuyen Commune, Hanoi. The communal house worships the village tutelary deity Trung Thanh Pho Te Dai Vuong and 8 heroic figures from the Hung Vuong era. This is a proud revolutionary 'red address', marking the event of hanging the first Party flag in Phu Xuyen District on May 1, 1930, under the ancient banyan tree in front of the communal house yard.

Amid the rural space south of the capital, Kim Quy Communal House in Dai Xuyen Commune, Hanoi City, is an address rich in historical, cultural, and revolutionary tradition. Through many generations, the communal house has not only been a place for the community's religious activities but has also preserved important traces linked to the homeland's history, especially the event of hanging the red flag with hammer and sickle on May 1, 1930. The ancient communal house and its distinctive cultural values. Kim Quy Communal House is a national-level historical and cultural relic, ranked by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2000. According to documentation introducing the relic, the communal house worships Tho Lenh Truong Dao Truong, namely Trung Thanh Pho Te Dai Vuong – the village tutelary deity – together with eight heroic figures revered by the people. The deities worshipped at the communal house are associated with folk beliefs and the tradition of worshipping human deities among residents of the Northern Delta. One of the notable values of Kim Quy Communal House is its system of Han-Nom documents and royal edicts preserved over many generations. The communal house currently has 20 royal edicts from various dynasties, including edicts composed during the Canh Hung, Canh Thinh, and Minh Menh periods. These documents are not only significant for researching the history of the communal house but also help reflect the religious and cultural life of the Kim Quy community across many periods. The communal house is therefore not merely a religious architectural work. It is also a place connecting the memories of generations, where stories about the tutelary deity, the village, and the struggle history of ancestors are preserved and passed down. A special imprint of the 1930 revolutionary movement. Mentioning Kim Quy Communal House means mentioning an event of special significance in the local revolutionary history.

During the 1930-1931 revolutionary upsurge, the Kim Quy Red Peasants' Association Group actively propagated and mobilized the masses and participated in revolutionary activities. On the occasion of International Labor Day, May 1, 1930, the Party organization in the Duy Tien area directed local bases to carry out many propaganda activities, including hanging red flags with hammer and sickle in crowded places. In Kim Quy, three locations were selected for hanging flags: the banyan tree in front of Kim Quy Communal House, the Cau Da area, and the area in front of Tam Ha Church. On the night of May 1, 1930, small flags were secretly brought to the locations and hung under strict patrols and surveillance by the authorities. The banyan tree in front of Kim Quy Communal House is associated with Mr. To Van Muc, then only 21 years old, carrying out the task of hanging the flag. That event became a memorable milestone in the history of the local revolutionary movement. According to historical documents presented, the Kim Quy Red Peasants' Association Group also distributed leaflets and pasted slogans and posters in many places in the village and nearby areas. Although it existed for only a short time, this organization left its mark on the local revolutionary movement. Today, the story of the red flag with hammer and sickle from the past is still retold by the people of Kim Quy as part of the homeland's historical memory. From an event that took place on a night in early May 1930, Kim Quy Communal House and the banyan tree in front of it have become places that help today's generation better imagine a vibrant period of revolutionary history. The banyan tree in front of the communal house – a witness of time. If Kim Quy Communal House is a place preserving many layers of community memory, the ancient banyan tree in front of it can be seen as a special 'witness' of local history. It was under this banyan tree that the event of hanging the red flag with hammer and sickle took place on May 1, 1930. After nearly a century, the banyan tree still stands beside the communal house, associated with memories of the young people of Kim Quy who participated in revolutionary activities in the early years of the movement. In 2024, the banyan tree at Kim Quy Communal House was recognized as a Vietnam Heritage Tree, further affirming the natural, cultural, and historical value of the ancient tree associated with the relic. The simultaneous presence of the communal house and the banyan tree creates a special heritage space: the communal house preserves religious, architectural, and documentary values; the banyan tree preserves the mark of a revolutionary event; both are closely linked to the spiritual life of local people.

Joining hands to preserve the homeland's heritage. Like many longstanding historical relics, Kim Quy Communal House has undergone deterioration and been repaired many times. In the late 1990s, local people contributed to repairing damaged items. In 2001, the people continued to contribute to replacing all roof beams and repairing the communal house roof. In particular, in the 2023-2024 period, a restoration and embellishment project was implemented for the communal house with a total budget of more than 19 billion VND. The project was approved under Decision No. 1427 dated May 5, 2023; construction began on September 18, 2023, and was completed after more than 10 months of construction. In addition to state investment resources, the people of Kim Quy Village and those living far from home also contributed artifacts and funds for the preservation of the relic. The restoration not only aimed to ensure the sustainability of the structure but also created conditions for the historical, cultural, and revolutionary values of the communal house to continue to be promoted in modern life. An address for traditional education for younger generations. In today's life, the value of Kim Quy Communal House lies not only in its architecture or the artifacts preserved. More importantly, this place helps connect the past with the present. Each royal edict, each story about the village tutelary deity, each architectural component, and especially the story of the red flag with hammer and sickle in 1930 all contribute to retelling the history of a rural area. Through this, younger generations have more opportunities to learn about their roots, the cultural traditions of their homeland, and those who came before. Kim Quy Communal House also shows the important role of the community in heritage preservation. The fact that people contributed labor, funds, artifacts, and documents to restore the relic shows that heritage is truly preserved in the long term only when it becomes part of the community's shared life and memory. Preserving a realm of homeland memory. Today, Kim Quy Communal House carries many interwoven layers of value: it is the sacred place of worship for the village, a national-level historical and cultural relic, a place preserving precious royal edicts, and also a site associated with a milestone of the revolutionary movement in the early twentieth century. From the communal house roof and the ancient banyan tree to the stories passed down by generations of local people, all create a culturally rich space of identity in the homeland of Kim Quy. In the development process of Dai Xuyen Commune and Hanoi Capital, preserving Kim Quy Communal House is therefore not only about preserving an ancient structure. It is also about preserving the community's memory, identity, and pride, so that values forged over many generations continue to be present in today's life and are passed on to the future.