Tien Huan Communal House, Son Tay Ward, Hanoi City

Tien Huan Communal House is located in Tien Huan village, Vien Son ward, Son Tay town (now Vien Son residential group, Son Tay ward, Hanoi City). This is a historical-cultural relic associated with the formation and development of the ancient Tien Huan village, and also a place preserving typical values of history, architecture, art and folk beliefs of the Doai region.

According to the genealogy compiled by Nguyen Binh, a Senior Scholar of the Dong Cac Academy, in the first year of Hong Duc (1470), and later copied in the sixth year of Vinh Huu (1740), Tien Huan Communal House worships Princess Hong Nuong (also called Princess Ngoc Tuynh), the third daughter of King Hung Due Vuong, i.e. the 18th Hung King. She is worshipped by the people as the village tutelary deity, reflecting the tradition of remembering the source when drinking water and the people's reverence for predecessors who contributed to the people and the country. Currently, the genealogy is still kept at the relic.

According to historical documents, Tien Huan Communal House was initially built in the 17th century and moved to its current location in the 19th century. Through the dynasties, the communal house was granted 12 royal edicts, from the reign of King Le Hien Tong to the Nguyen dynasty. In 1961, the ancient communal house was demolished. Later, the people restored it, including the main ceremonial hall and rear sanctuary; in 2018, the communal house pond was dredged and the grounds were landscaped. Tien Huan Communal House and Shrine are a relic complex recognized as a city-level historical-cultural relic in 2003.

In terms of architecture, Tien Huan Communal House was formerly a typical work of traditional village communal house architecture in the Doai region. The communal house once had a two-tiered curved roof system, with the ridge decorated with lemon flowers, and the corner eaves shaped as dragons, tiger motifs and folk sacred creatures. The current communal house has been restored on the old foundation, continuing to maintain the space for worship and religious activities of the people.

One of the distinctive artistic values still preserved at the communal house is the two pairs of ancient stone nghe placed in front of the relic. These are sacred creatures bearing strong Vietnamese cultural imprints, demonstrating the skill and creativity of folk artisans. The two pairs have different shapes, postures and carved lines: one pair faces inward to the communal house, symbolizing the aspiration for peace, prosperity, fertility and development; the other pair faces outward, meaning protection, guarding and bringing peace to the community. The soft, vivid decorative motifs on the nghe bodies express the aesthetic thinking and rich spiritual concepts of the Vietnamese people in the past. These are precious artifacts that help highlight the folk sculpture artistic value of the relic.

Not only of historical and architectural value, Tien Huan Communal House – Shrine is also a center for cultural and religious activities of the local community. This is where people organize activities to worship the village tutelary deity, practice traditional rituals, commemorate the merits of predecessors and preserve the good customs of their homeland. Through many generations, the relic has become a space connecting the community, contributing to nurturing love for the homeland and awareness of preserving local cultural identity.

With typical values in history, beliefs, architecture and sculpture, Tien Huan Communal House is an important part of the cultural heritage system of Son Tay land. In particular, the two pairs of ancient stone nghe still kept at the relic are valuable evidence of the figurative art and traditional cultural-spiritual thinking of the Vietnamese people. The preservation, safeguarding and promotion of the relic's values not only contribute to keeping the historical imprints of Tien Huan village but also have important significance in educating tradition and preserving national cultural identity for present and future generations.