Ngọc Xuyên Communal House

Ngọc Xuyên Communal House is located at: No. 1, Lane 200, Âu Cơ, Hồng Hà Ward, Hanoi City.

Located on land in the “Tứ Châu” area of Vĩnh Thuận District, since ancient times Ngọc Xuyên Communal House has been a religious relic of particularly important significance to the local people. This land has many times changed its administrative place name; it was originally Xuyên Bảo hamlet, and by the Trần dynasty it had been divided into four villages: Nội Châu, Ngoại Châu, Ngọc Châu, and Vạn Châu. In the Lê dynasty it was called Tam Bảo trang Nội Châu; in the Nguyễn dynasty, after many changes of name, from 1910 it became Nội Châu Commune. Before 1945 it belonged to Phúc Lâm Canton, Hoàn Long District, Hà Đông Province. From 1961 it belonged to Tứ Liên Commune, Từ Liêm District, suburban Hanoi. From 1996 it belonged to Tứ Liên Ward, Tây Hồ District, Hanoi City; today it is Hồng Hà Ward, Hanoi City. Through many historical ups and downs, the relic’s appearance has changed considerably. According to legend, Ngọc Xuyên Communal House dates from very ancient times; in January 1947, French forces burned Ngọc Xuyên village communal house, leaving only the Tả Mạc house (called the Hội đồng sở house) behind the communal house, and since then the Hội đồng sở house has assumed the function of the village communal house and is now used as a traditional house and a place where villagers and wounded and sick soldiers regularly come to offer incense in gratitude and remembrance to the collective spirits of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers as well as the spirits of heroic martyrs who sacrificed for Tứ Liên Ward.

In 2002, with the agreement of local authorities, the people of Ngọc Xuyên village restored the communal house worshipping the Tutelary God as it is today. According to the elders, since ancient times Ngọc Xuyên Communal House, Tứ Liên Communal House and Nội Châu Communal House have jointly worshipped the Tutelary God, who was three blood siblings: Bảo Trung (the eldest saint, whose taboo name was Nguyễn Huy Bảo), Minh Khiết (the younger saint, whose taboo name was Nguyễn Huy Mỹ) and Holy Lady Ý Hạnh (whose taboo name was Nguyễn Thị Phương), all born at the hour of the Rat on the 28th day of the 6th month of the Mậu Dần year.

The current scale and architectural style of the communal house are strongly imbued with traditional architecture, including a five-bay main hall and a one-bay rear sanctuary. To the right of the communal house is a two-storey, eight-roofed stele house; in front of the courtyard is a communal pond, forming an architectural complex in harmony with the natural landscape.