Thu Cuu Communal House

The Thu Cuu Communal House relic belongs to Thuong - Cuu - Bai Village, Co Loa Commune. Thu Cuu was formerly one of the ancient villages surrounding the Co Loa Citadel, the first capital of ancient Vietnam. According to Han-Nom documents preserved at the Co Loa relic site, such as royal edicts, stone steles, and local legends, Thu Cuu is one of the eight communes assigned by feudal dynasties to worship King An Duong Vuong as the village tutelary deity, along with seven other communes: Co Loa, Mach Trang, Cau Ca, San Gia, Van Thuong, Ngoai Sat (Sep), and Dai Bi (commonly known as the Eight Communes of Co Loa or the Eight Communes of Loa Thanh).

King An Duong Vuong was a great historical figure, associated with victories against the Qin and Zhao to protect the country and with building a united and strong nation in the years before the Common Era. The merits and career of King An Duong Vuong have long been praised in historical records and folk legends; most notable are his unification of the people, shaping of the nation, expansion of economic development toward the plains, and protection of the country's sovereignty.

Based on the system of relics still preserved at the site, which bear 19th-century artistic style; especially the stone stele at the communal house erected in 1719, the 15th year of the Vinh Thinh era, it can be inferred that the Thu Cuu Communal House relic was initially built around the Later Le period. The remaining physical traces and epigraphic materials show that from its initial construction, Thu Cuu Communal House had a grand scale and many architectural components. In 2008, the Thu Cuu Communal House relic was restored and rebuilt; in 2023-2024, the communal house is being restored, including the main communal house, side halls, gate, and auxiliary works.

Thu Cuu Communal House currently stands on an elevated plot at the edge of the village, without a separate enclosure system from the surrounding civil architecture. The communal house's land is not large and is close to the main road in the middle of the village. In the past, the communal house faced south and had a five-bay main hall and a two-bay rear sanctuary. Initially, the communal house was at its current location, then it was moved to the village gate, and later moved back to its old location. Currently, the communal house lies between the Outer Citadel and faces south toward the Middle Citadel, in the area of the former Vườn Thuyền - Ao Mắm.

The main hall and rear sanctuary of Thu Cuu Communal House both have closed gable walls, roofs covered with fish-scale tiles, roof ridges decorated with a pair of dragons facing the moon, side ridges decorated with a pair of unicorns, and eaves with stylized fire-leaf patterns creating a light and elegant appearance. The communal house floor is about 80 cm higher than the yard, and the five-step terrace is paved with Bat Trang bricks. On both sides of the central bay are a pair of stone dragons; further outside are a pair of dragons transformed into clouds, and beyond that are a pair of stone horses standing guard. These are all merit-offering works by the people in recent times.

It is expected that when the overall restoration is completed, the communal house will have a four-pillar gate with three openings leading into the sacred space; the large yard will have two rows of five-bay side halls on both sides, while the main hall and rear sanctuary will retain their current architecture. To the left of the communal house, a majestic monument to General Cao Lo has been built to commemorate his great contribution to the invention of the magic crossbow by our ancestors in the past.

Thu Cuu Communal House also preserves many valuable relics, such as the deity genealogy, copies of royal edicts from the Institute of Han-Nom Studies, the dragon throne and saintly spirit tablet, two palanquins, votive horses, the eight treasures, ceremonial halberds, etc., used in participating in the Co Loa Festival. Especially the stone stele “Hau Than Bi Ky” erected on an auspicious day in the first month (midwinter) of the Ky Hoi year, the 15th year of the Vinh Thinh era (1719) under the Le dynasty, records: “Thu Cuu was a commune with the Nguyen, Le, and Dinh clans, among whom Mr. Nguyen Van Quy and Mrs. Trinh Thi Nho from the village donated one mau of rice fields and contributed money for the people to build the communal house”. Other relics and ritual objects have been donated by the villagers in recent years.  

Co Loa is an ancient land with a history thousands of years thick. This place worships many legendary figures, historical heroes, or cultural notables as tutelary deities. Therefore, in this locality, almost every village has a festival. At Co Loa, the festival on the sixth day of the first lunar month is a major festival, attracting a large number of local people and pilgrims from afar to attend. Thu Cuu is a member participating in ritual activities together with the villages of the Eight Communes. After the common festival day, the villages of the Eight Communes continue to open their communal houses to organize their own rituals and festivals; Thu Cuu Communal House holds its festival on the 16th day of the first lunar month. According to ancient tradition, although Thu Cuu Village is small, it is responsible for lighting the kitchen for the Eight Communes council to perform rituals on the 6th day of the first lunar month. Usually, on the festival day, Thu Cuu Village organizes a solemn ritual to the tutelary deity along with a number of spring entertainment activities such as: to tom (card game), human chess, tuong singing, ancient cheo singing and cultural exchange, traditional wrestling, crossbow shooting, pot breaking, cockfighting, etc. In recent years, the festival has still been regularly maintained by Thu Cuu Village, with inappropriate feasting ceremonies removed and healthy, community-oriented sports activities added.  

With its historical and cultural values, Thu Cuu Communal House was granted the certificate of ranking as a historical-cultural relic by the Hanoi City People's Committee in Decision No. 2458/QD-UBND dated June 1, 2011.