Phu Sa Communal House

Phu Sa Communal House is a typical historical and cultural relic of the Son Tay area, currently located in Phu Sa Residential Group, Son Tay Ward, Hanoi City. In the past, the communal house belonged to Phu Sa Village, Phuc Loc District, Son Tay Garrison. The relic is part of a complex of religious architecture including communal houses, temples, pagodas, and shrines, creating a distinctive spiritual cultural space closely associated with the local community’s life.

Phu Sa Communal House has a long history of formation, tied to the settlement and reclamation of the Phu Sa land. Previously, the communal house was large in scale with traditional architectural components such as the nghi mon (ceremonial gate), left and right corridors, communal courtyard, a five-bay, two-wing dai bai (main worship hall), and a rear sanctuary of the “chuoi vo” type, mainly built of lim wood. Due to the effects of the resistance wars against the French colonialists and upheavals in the early 1960s, most of the communal house’s architecture was dismantled. Today, the old communal house relic still preserves some traces such as two nghi mon pillars, an ancient frangipani tree, and some related architectural parts. The artifacts and worship objects of the old communal house, such as palanquins, bronze objects, stone steles, tablets, and royal edicts, are preserved by the people in the Dinh Thuong area.

Phu Sa Communal House worships the two Holy Figures, a prince consort and a princess, who were the son-in-law and daughter of King Dinh Tien Hoang. According to the Han-Nom genealogy, in the Dinh dynasty, when the Song court intended to invade, the two were assigned to guard the north, contributing to protecting the country. After the country was at peace, they came to the Phu Sa land, found the terrain favorable and the soil fertile, and therefore gathered people to establish hamlets, reclaim rice fields, guide the people in production, stabilize their lives, and build an increasingly prosperous community.

Legend has it that the prince consort died on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, and the princess passed away on the 20th day of the 8th lunar month. Remembering their merits, the local people built a shrine to worship them and have worshipped them for many generations. From the Later Le to the Nguyen dynasty, the two were granted royal edicts by the dynasties and honored as village tutelary gods with many laudatory titles, recognizing their merit in “protecting the country and pacifying the people.”

Phu Sa Communal House has outstanding historical, cultural, and religious value. The relic reflects the tradition of worshipping village tutelary gods, the moral principle of “remembering the source when drinking water,” and the spirit of gratitude to those who contributed to the homeland and country. The system of royal edicts, palanquins, worship objects, stone steles, tablets, and remaining artifacts are valuable materials contributing to research on history, art, and the religious life of residents in the Northern Delta region.

In addition, Phu Sa Communal House also has revolutionary historical value. After peace was restored in 1954, President Ho Chi Minh and several high-ranking leaders once stopped and worked here to hear reports on the Geneva Conference and discuss the takeover of the capital Hanoi. Every year, the people of Phu Sa organize a traditional festival from the 14th to the 19th day of the first lunar month with rituals, palanquin processions, incense offerings, and many community cultural activities. The communal house also participates in festival activities associated with the Va Temple relic complex, contributing to creating connections in the spiritual cultural space of the Son Tay region.

In 1996, Phu Sa Communal House was ranked by the State as a National Historical and Artistic Relic under Decision No. 2997/QD-VH dated November 5, 1996, by the Minister of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). In 2014, a stele was erected within the communal house grounds to mark the historical event of the revolutionary resistance.

Today, Phu Sa Communal House is not only a place preserving valuable traces of history but also a space for cultural and religious activities of the community. The relic contributes to preserving local cultural identity, educating the tradition of “remembering the source when drinking water,” and preserving precious historical and cultural values for present and future generations.