Phuc Lam Communal House

Phuc Lam Communal House, Phuc Lam village, Dai Xuyen commune, Hanoi city is a city-level historical-cultural relic, ranked under Decision No. 2713/QĐ-UB dated December 31, 2003 of the Hanoi City People's Committee. The communal house is a traditional religious work of the local community, a place to worship the village tutelary deity, respected and worshipped by the people, associated with the history of formation and development of Phuc Lam village. The communal house is where traditional religious rituals are practiced, festivals and community cultural activities are organized, and it has historical, cultural, artistic value and value for the religious life of local people.

Amid the village landscape of Phuc Lam, Dai Xuyen commune, Hanoi city, Phuc Lam Communal House has long been a place closely tied to the spiritual life of local people. More than just a religious work of the village community, the communal house is also a special cultural space where traditional Trong Quan songs are preserved and passed down through many generations.

The village communal house has long been a familiar cultural institution of the Northern Vietnamese countryside. In Phuc Lam, the communal house yard is not only a place for community activities but also associated with folk call-and-response singing. According to recent documents, on village festival occasions, especially the 10th day of the third lunar month, the Phuc Lam communal house yard becomes a place where rustic and vibrant Trong Quan songs resound. A space of village memory.

Coming to Phuc Lam, the image of the village communal house is tied to the memories of many generations. The elderly in the village still remember the time when young men and women, after days of farm work, gathered by the communal house yard, the water landing, or open plots of land to sing duets. The songs were both playful words and a way for people to express their feelings, intelligence, and folk cultural capital. It is in that community space that Phuc Lam Communal House becomes part of cultural life, not merely an architectural work. Drumbeats, songs, and festival activities create connections between people and homeland, between previous and later generations.

Trong Quan singing – a distinctive heritage of Phuc Lam. A highlight when mentioning Phuc Lam Communal House is the art of Trong Quan singing. This is a form of folk performance that has existed for many generations in the locality. A traditional singing session usually consists of several stages, from greeting songs and call-and-response songs to riddle songs, tests of wit, and finally farewell songs. Singers not only need to know the lyrics but must also be quick-witted and flexible in responding to the other side's songs. Phuc Lam Trong Quan singing once declined, but memories of the old melodies are still kept by artisans and local people. Since 1997, participation in the Phu Xuyen District Folk Song Festival has become a milestone in bringing Phuc Lam Trong Quan singing back to community cultural life. In 2016, the Phuc Lam Village Trong Quan Singing Club was established, creating an additional environment for generations to study, practice, and perform together. Notably, the club currently has members from many generations, from the elderly to children. This shows that Trong Quan singing is not only regarded as a memory of the past but is still being passed on in today's life. Phuc Lam Trong Quan singing has also been recognized as city-level intangible cultural heritage; the locality is preparing a scientific dossier to request national-level recognition. Phuc Lam Communal House in today's life.

In the process of urbanization and rapid changes in modern life, the fact that a traditional cultural space like Phuc Lam Communal House continues to be preserved by the community is significant. This is a place for people to return to their roots, organize community activities, and maintain customs and folk arts that have been built up over many generations.

Notably, the Phuc Lam Communal House relic is undergoing a restoration and embellishment project. According to published project information, the Phu Xuyen District People's Committee approved the project in May 2025; by the end of 2025, the contractor selection plan for the project continued to be announced, with the investor being the Dai Xuyen Commune Investment - Infrastructure Project Management Board. The restoration and embellishment are significant not only for the landscape and physical facilities of the relic but also help create conditions for the community's traditional cultural activities to have more space to be maintained and promoted.