Vinh Loc Ha Communal House

1. Type and Ranking: It is an Architectural and Artistic relic (Historical - Artistic). It was decided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to be ranked as a National Relic under Decision No. 3436/QĐ-BVHTTDL dated October 12, 2015.

2. Worshipped Figure and Historical Value

• Divine legend: The communal house worships two Great Kings who were twin brothers: Duong Canh Thanh Hoang Bao Dan Khuong Tien Dai Vuong (Mr. Tien) and Duong Canh Thanh Hoang Do Ho Dai Tuong Quan (Mr. Ho). They were skilled in martial arts and made great contributions helping Dinh Bo Linh suppress the rebellion of the 12 warlords and unify the country in the 10th century.

• Historical events: During the resistance war against the French, the communal house sheltered local guerrilla soldiers and was a rallying point for revolutionary fighters preparing to cross the Day River to the My Duc area. In 1946, the communal house was used as a popular education class.

3. Architectural and Artistic Characteristics

• Dating: It was originally built during the Le Trung Hung period (17th - 18th centuries). Over time, the Rear Hall (Hau Cung) was removed when the Day River dike was built, and its four roof corners were cut off in 1961-1962.

• Layout: It faces southeast, backed by the Day River dike. The complex includes: the communal house pond, the Nghi Mon (four-pillar gate), the courtyard, the left and right galleries (each with 5 compartments), and the Dai Bai Hall.

• Sculptural art: The Dai Bai Hall (inside consisting of 3 compartments and 2 lean-tos) retains a sturdy wooden frame of the "thuong thu ha thach" type, strongly imbued with the architectural style of the Le Trung Hung period. The carvings are extremely vivid with raised carved panels and reliefs of "dragon nest" and "long nghe gathering". Particularly and most uniquely is a relief depicting a loincloth-wearing man with a cloth wrapped around his head climbing a tree and grabbing a rat's tail on a goose-neck beam, deeply reflecting the rustic, humorous character of the Northern Delta.

4. System of Relics and Antiquities

• Royal edicts: The relic is proud to preserve 12 royal edicts from the Le Trung Hung period to the Nguyen period, the earliest being 2 edicts under the Long Duc 4th year (1735).

• Other artifacts: Including 02 dragon thrones and spirit tablets, 02 worship hats, 02 ceremonial shoes, a horizontal plaque "Protecting the Country and Benefiting the People", trough-shaped couplets, an oration stand, a set of Eight Treasures, a pair of wooden worship cranes standing on turtles' backs, a blue enamel ceramic incense burner, and a set of water altar vessels.

5. Worship rituals

• Time: The grand festival is held on the 9th day of the first lunar month (the deity's birthday) and the 10th day of the second lunar month (the deity's transformation day).

• Rituals: The typical offerings must include banh day, black pig meat, black buffalo meat, and carp. The ritual committee consists of 17 people; the chief celebrant wears a red robe, and other members wear blue scholar-official robes. During the reading of the oration and the performance of rituals, it is absolutely forbidden to use the two characters "Tien" and "Ho" due to name taboo. In the past, there was a custom of carrying the dragon throne and spirit tablet to the village shrines, but it was abolished during the anti-American period.

6. Protection work and zoning of the relic site

• Zoning: According to the minutes dated October 17, 2013 and the revised map of 2014, because the communal house is located in a residential area and within the dike planning, the meeting agreed to mark off only Protection Zone I with a total area of 3,522.7 m2.

• Area distribution: The protection zone includes the entire communal house pond, Nghi Mon, courtyard, Dai Bai Hall and left and right galleries; it is divided into two parts: the area within the dike protection boundary is 930.0 m2 and the area outside the dike protection boundary is 2,592.7 m2.

• Current status: The relic is showing signs of serious deterioration in wooden components (termites, sagging roof, leaks), and functional agencies need to promptly plan restoration and embellishment and supplement some worship objects. All management and restoration activities must strictly comply with the Law on Cultural Heritage.