So Thuong Communal House

According to the ancient Ngoc Pha record copied respectfully by Nguyen Hien, Supervisor of the Hundred Deities, in the 3rd year of Vinh Huu (1737), and the royal edict of the 5th year of Chinh Hoa (1684) currently kept at the relic, So Thuong Communal House and Coc Shrine worship Lord Linh Lang Dai Vuong. The Ngoc Pha record states: “… In the reign of King Ly Thanh Tong (1054–1072), in Dong Doan hamlet, Bong Lai commune, Tu Liem district, Quoc Oai prefecture, Son Tay region, there was a man surnamed Nguyen, taboo name Thuc, whose wife was from the same village and surnamed Le, taboo name Nang. The couple was wealthy and kind-hearted but sadly had no children. One day, while lying in the main bedchamber, the wife dreamed that a snake-shaped cloud of yin essence fell into her mouth; she suddenly woke and told Nguyen Cong about the dream. Nguyen Cong said: That is an auspicious dream; you will surely give birth to a noble daughter. After 100 days, Mrs. Nang suddenly became pregnant and, when her term was full, gave birth to a daughter. The child grew up graceful, with phoenix eyes and silkworm eyebrows, a bright face, and a body fragrant with scent. Her parents loved her dearly and named her Hao Nuong. When Hao Nuong was 3 years old, her father fell ill and died; Mrs. Nang took her daughter to live with her aunt in Thi Tac Ward, Thang Long Citadel, where they traded in silk to make a living. At 17, Hao Nuong was a girl of peerless beauty—so lovely that birds fell, fish sank, flowers were ashamed, and the moon yielded—and she possessed all four virtues and every talent. One day, King Ly Thanh Tong was touring the realm and saw Hao Nuong by the roadside; feeling she was a good girl, he rewarded Lady Thai with 100 dat of silver, welcomed Hao Nuong to his palace, made her his ninth palace consort, and built a palace in Thi Tac Ward. One day, the consort went to the West Lake landing and suddenly met a Giao Long that rushed at her, coiled around her three times, gave off a rich fragrance, then returned to the lake and spat out a five-colored cloud. From then on she suddenly became pregnant. After 14 months, while sitting by the royal garden, the consort dozed off and suddenly saw a great man nine thuoc tall, wearing a brilliant dragon crown and a jade-inlaid brocade ornament. The man came before the consort and said: I am originally a son of the Dragon Lord, named Hoang Lang. Now I have come into the world, entered the imperial family, and been born as the Emperor’s son. Having said this, the consort suddenly awoke. In the 12th month, a storm suddenly arose; the sky and earth grew dark, a rich fragrance filled the air, wind and rain roared, and thunder and lightning raged for 10 days. The consort gave birth to a son with phoenix eyes, a dragon neck, tiger shoulders, and a tall body; on his back were 28 spots like qilin scales, and his belly was bright like jade, like the Big Dipper. Seven days after birth, the king, seeing it as foretold in a dream, named him Hoang Lang.”

Some time later, the Vinh Trinh invaders suddenly came with tens of thousands of troops. One day, an urgent frontier report arrived, so the King had an altar erected and ordered all officials to pray to the hundred deities for hidden aid to protect the country. At that time, the sky and earth turned pitch black. The King was at Thai Hoa Palace; as he dozed off, he suddenly heard a chant: “The fate of the nation is tottering, but a saintly talent already exists; Heaven has decided, so do not worry. Seek a talented person, and the Vinh Trinh invaders will surely scatter.” Hearing the chant, the King woke and considered it a good dream, sure that the hundred deities were reporting help. After that, the King sent an envoy to seek throughout the realm among the people and heroes from all directions who would use their talent and wisdom to defeat the enemy; they would surely receive great rewards. Hoang Lang heard the envoy’s proclamation and petitioned the King: grant me one flag, one flagpole 10 truong long, and one strong elephant, and I will help the country drive out the invaders; the King need not worry. The envoy reported this to the King. The King was overjoyed, ordered a flagpole 10 truong long made, and sent 5,000 soldiers to Thi Tac Ward together with 112 local people. Hoang Lang shook himself and suddenly became 9 thuoc tall; holding the 10-truong flagpole, he mounted the elephant and shouted: “I am a general of Heaven,” then urged the elephant forward. When he reached Bach Hac River in Thich Thuong commune, night fell by the river; Hoang Lang charged into the enemy formation and fought a decisive battle. The enemy general Vinh Trinh panicked and fled; some were cut down and the rest captured, totaling more than 3,000 heads. After the enemy was pacified, Hoang Lang returned. The King joyfully held a banquet on the 12th day of the 9th month and rewarded the generals and soldiers. A few months after Hoang Lang defeated the enemy, the King wanted to promote him to royal rank, but he refused. Later Hoang Lang fell ill with smallpox for 3 months; skilled physicians presented medicine, but he did not recover. One day, the King visited Hoang Lang’s sickbed, saw the illness was hard to cure, and said: “If you were my son, even a serious illness would heal itself; why need seek wondrous medicine and skilled physicians?” Hearing the King’s words, Hoang Lang replied: “I was born as a child of the imperial family, not as a son of the Emperor. I am originally a son of the Dragon Lord of the watery realm; because the country was in danger, I received Heaven’s order to enter the imperial family and help the nation. Now that the enemy has been defeated, I ask to return to the watery realm. Heaven has set a time limit; I dare not disobey.” The King heard this, found it strange, and said to Hoang Lang: “Now you are not my son, but for even one day you were a courtier who rendered service to the nation; I cannot fail to repay you. I wish to grant you rank and emoluments but do not know how.”

Hoang Lang replied: “I wish that in the original land of Bong Lai, where my mother was born and raised, a temple be built to worship my mother’s grace. And in Thi Tac Ward, where I was born and passed away, another place be established.”
On the 10th day of the 2nd month, the King ordered all officials to escort Hoang Lang to Thi Tac land. When they reached the shrine entrance, Hoang Lang sat on a stone slab. The King on his royal progress saw civil and military officials and attendants on both sides, with horses and elephants in attendance. The King asked Hoang Lang: “The nation is at peace; if I wish to reward the places of worship for their merit, how should it be done?” Hoang Lang replied: “My father the King has already shown deep compassion; I ask to throw up the flag, and wherever it is seen, there will be worship.” At that moment, the sky and earth suddenly turned dark; on the lake great waves rose, a giao long appeared on the water, and the flag was seen flying to So Thuong. Thus, So Thuong commune in Thanh Tri district was also one of the places permitted to build a shrine and worship him. Another source records that when the Song army attacked, Linh Lang (Hoang Chan) asked the King for 5,000 troops and battle elephants and went out to defeat them. After the victory banquet, King Ly Thanh Tong expressed his wish to abdicate in favor of Prince Hoang Chan, but he refused. Shortly afterward, Hoang Chan fell gravely ill and died.
In addition to worshiping Lord Linh Lang Dai Vuong, So Thuong Communal House currently also worships Lord Thai Phu Dai Vuong, as recorded on the tablet in the Dai Bai hall: “The local tutelary god Thai Phu Dai Vuong is worshipped here.”

Architecture and landscape
So Thuong Communal House is located at the head of the village, facing southwest, and includes the Nghi Mon gate, Dai Bai main hall, Trung Cung central hall, and Hau Cung rear hall. The Dai Bai hall has five bays and two side wings, with four curved roof corners. The roof frames are uniformly linked in the style of “upper stacked purlins, lower corbels, and seven-eave brackets.” The Trung Cung has three bays and connects to the three central bays of the Dai Bai and Hau Cung. The Hau Cung is a sacred space with three bays and closed gable-end walls.