Vinh Loc Thuong Communal House
Story
011. Worshipped Figures & Historical Value
The communal house worships 5 deities:
Ban Dam Quoc Vuong Thien Tu (Dam Hieu Hoang Dai Vuong) – Duong Canh Tutelary Deity.
Linh Lang Dai Vuong: The fourth son of King Ly Thanh Tong, credited with defeating the Song invaders.
Dong Hai Nghiem Dai Vuong (Phuc Nghiem): Passed the doctoral examination under Ly Cao Tong and, together with his younger brother, led troops to suppress invaders.
Cuong Dung Dai Vuong: Phuc Nghiem's younger brother, skilled in martial arts, who together with his brother manifested spiritually to aid in fighting invaders.
Great Scholar Nguyen Tuong Cong, taboo name Cong.
Hometown tradition: Vinh Loc Thuong is a land of learning; during the reign of Le Uy Muc (1505), three people passed the doctoral examination in a single cohort. The village once contributed 18 young men who followed the two generals Phuc Nghiem and Cuong Dung to fight invaders and save the country.
2. Relic Type & Architecture
Type: Ancient Historical - Artistic Architectural Relic.
Scale & Layout: Total protected planning area is about more than 5,700 m² (on land plots No. 22 and 23a). Layout in the character style Nong (農) consisting of the Main Hall and two side halls, Ta Vu and Huu Vu, surrounding a square brick courtyard.
Great Ceremonial Hall: Layout in the character Nhat (一), comprising 5 bays and 6 roof trusses with 24 wooden columns (lim, sen, tau wood). The main columns are 50 cm in diameter, with bases resting on drum-shaped stone blocks carved with lotus-petal patterns. The trusses have carved brackets featuring the Four Sacred Creatures (Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle, Phoenix) and folk-art scenes.
Architectural date: The communal house was built early, inheriting many artistic elements of the Le dynasty (square brackets with tapered bases, curling cloud clusters, brush-tail dragons), and underwent major restoration during the Nguyen dynasty (1939 - Bao Dai's 15th year).
3. Representative Artifacts
The communal house still preserves many valuable relics:
Han-Nom Documents: 01 genealogy of deities (first compiled in the 3rd year of Hong Duc - 1574) and 18 imperial edicts from various dynasties.
Wooden ritual objects: 3 thrones and worship statues (especially the Dam Hieu statue carved in 1839, lacquered and gilded), 2 memorial tablet thrones, 1 eight-bearer palanquin, a ceremonial curtain door, etc.
Ceramic, porcelain, and bronze objects: 1 unique ancient terracotta incense bowl with raised dragon-horse motifs (40 cm diameter), a set of bronze tripods, bronze incense bowls, porcelain vases, etc.
