Kim Hoang Communal House

Kim Hoang Communal House

Kim Hoang Village formerly belonged to Huong Canh canton, Tu Liem district (now part of Kim Hoang hamlet, Son Dong commune, Hanoi city).

Kim Hoang Communal House worships the river god and the earth god, who were later historicized as talented generals of the Hung Vuong era, yet still evoke the origin of Bach Hac Tam Giang. This is one of the primitive forms of belief of wet-rice agricultural residents.

The communal house stands on elevated land in Dinh hamlet, faces west and looks out onto a pond. Through various periods, it was expanded from an initial single-compartment Dai dinh in the shape of the character "Nhat" to the shape of the character "Dinh" by adding a rear sanctuary (Hau cung) in 1847. In the reign of King Thanh Thai, symmetrical Left and Right corridors were added across the front yard with simple "chong ruong" architecture. In 2003, the Nghi mon (ceremonial gate) and an altar to Than Nong were added. Behind is the Hau cung consisting of three bays with enclosing walls and a passage to the rear yard.

The communal house currently preserves many rare artifacts such as a dragon throne, spirit tablets in 18th-century artistic style, a set of ceremonial weapons dating from the 18th century, a bell cast in the first year of Thieu Tri (1841), 12 royal edicts from the Nguyen era, one deity genealogy, horizontal plaques, and couplets.

This land has also been famous for the traditional folk painting craft. Kim Hoang paintings are painted by artisans on dieu paper and yellow tau paper, which is why they are also called Kim Hoang red paintings. The chicken, pig, nghe... paintings produced have been welcomed by locals and visitors. Many Kim Hoang residents are now also very proud that the once-familiar paintings have returned to daily life, helping to revive a cultural feature that was thought to have faded...

Kim Hoang Communal House was ranked as an architectural and artistic relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information on September 28, 1990.