PHUONG NHI COMMUNAL HOUSE

Phuong Nhi Communal House was ranked as a city-level relic in 2016. The communal house is dedicated to two revered figures who made great contributions to the nation's history: Cao Bien, a general associated with legends of water control and the construction of Dai La Citadel, and Nguyen Nhu Do, a distinguished high-ranking official and scholar of the early Le dynasty, who symbolizes the spirit of learning and intellect. Architecturally, the communal house bears strong imprints of the traditional art of the Red River Delta, with structures such as the Nghi Mon (ceremonial gate), communal courtyard, Dai Bai (main worship hall), and Hau Cung (rear sanctuary); the carved details on the wooden roof trusses often feature extremely exquisite motifs of the four sacred creatures and four noble plants. Today, the communal house still preserves many valuable artifacts, including a system of five royal edicts: edicts from the 6th year of Tu Duc (1853), the 33rd year of Tu Duc (1881), the 2nd year of Dong Khanh (1887), the 3rd year of Duy Tan (1910), and the 9th year of Khai Dinh (1925), along with horizontal plaques, couplets, and an ancient long throne. Every year, on the full moon of the first lunar month, local people enthusiastically organize the Phuong Nhi Communal House Festival with solemn ritual ceremonies and many distinctive folk games.