Pho Huyen Communal House - Temple

Pho Huyen Communal House - Temple is also called Pho Quoc Communal House - Temple, or Ba Chua Cho Temple. This name originates from earlier times, because in the past the relic complex was near the administrative headquarters of Quoc Oai district capital and near Phu Quoc market. The communal house is located in an area with convenient traffic; from central Hanoi, follow Thang Long Boulevard about 20 km, cross Hoang Xa overpass to the main North-South road, at the intersection turn left about 30 m, or from Ha Dong go over Thanh Quang dike, then turn left and go straight along Pho Huyen road about 1 km to reach the relic.

Based on the deity legend and royal edicts of Hoang Xa canton, Quoc Oai district, Son Tay province, Pho Huyen Communal House is a place of worship for General Lu Gia, Chancellor of Nam Viet.  around 136–111 BC; the temple is where Princess Lieu Hanh, or Lady Lieu Hanh, is worshipped.

There is currently no reliable documentation on the specific date of the communal house's and temple's founding, but based on the inscription on the upper beam, which records "In the twenty-first year of Minh Menh, first month, twenty-second day, newly built; second year of Dong Khanh, eleventh month, fifth day; repaired in the fifth year of Bao Dai, fourth month, seventeenth day, renovation greatly auspicious", the communal house was renovated in the 21st year of Minh Menh (1840), then in the 2nd year of Dong Khanh (1887) and the 5th year of Bao Dai (1939), local people repaired and renovated it.

Local elders say that previously the communal house was a fairly large, imposing structure with an open gate and yard right next to the gate of Quoc district office; the temple was near Phu market and was smaller in scale.

After opening Pho Huyen road, local people arranged the two fairly neatly together, without separation. The communal house is structured in the shape of the character 'Nhi', including two sections: Dai Bai and Hau Cung; the temple is structured in the shape of the character 'Dinh', including a gate, Tien Te, and Hau Cung in a variant of the 'front knife, rear block' style.

Over time and changes in space and terrain, this relic complex no longer retains that original state. However, the aesthetic value of the relic is intrinsic, including aspects such as technical-artistic value, value in plastic art, and thinking in arrangement. After restoration and embellishment, the complex still gathers the typical features of a purely Vietnamese relic: traditional roof trusses, materials, arrangement, and spatial landscape. It can be said that Pho Huyen Communal House - Temple was built according to standards, showing inheritance of traditional motifs with traditional original materials, both sturdy and soft, while always preserving the ancient, solemn appearance of a traditional pure Vietnamese communal house - temple.

The relic still preserves Nguyen-era artifacts and relics such as a dragon palanquin, horizontal plaques, and parallel sentences with value in craftsmanship. These relics are arranged quite densely, in layers, and mainly concentrated in the main worship sections of the relic.

Associated with the relic is a traditional festival held on the 19th and 20th days of the second lunar month every year.

The ceremonial part includes offerings and rituals conducted by elders, dignitaries, and persons of rank. Alongside the solemn rituals to express gratitude to the village deity, people can also join the festival activities. The festival begins with a palanquin procession; the procession members are selected by elders and must be strong young men, unblemished. Order of the procession: first the drum team, ceremonial weapons, palanquin flags; next the general flag, dragon palanquin, literature palanquin, and finally the deity palanquin. In addition, the festival includes folk games and artistic performances that attract a large number of participants.