Quang Yen Communal House

Quang Yen Communal House belongs to Quang Yen Hamlet, Quoc Oai Commune, Hanoi City. The route is convenient for all road vehicles: from central Hanoi to Thang Long Boulevard, to the overpass over the Day River in Quoc Oai Commune, turn left and go about 1 km to Quang Yen Hamlet; the communal house is right at the foot of the dike.

Based on folk legends and preserved Han-Nom documents, Quang Yen Communal House worships the village tutelary god Ly Phuc Man, titled Gia Thong Dai Vuong. He was a general under Ly Nam De in the 6th century. Because he had the merit of pacifying ethnic minority tribes (the Man people) in the Do Dong - Duong Lam region (the northwest of our country during Ly Nam De's time), he was honored as "Phuc Man Tuong Quan". Together with Pham Tu, he defeated the invading Lam Ap army, so the king allowed him to bear the surname "Ly". He was from Co So Village, later renamed Gia Village (including three villages: Yen So, Dac So, and Yen Thai in the former Hoai Duc District, Hanoi). According to the Than Tich at Quan Gia, he was famous as a person skilled in martial arts and capable of taming elephants. As a loyal minister with many merits, after his death he was worshipped by people in many places as the village tutelary god.

Quang Yen Communal House is located on a high, beautiful plot of land in the village, facing southwest. Legend has it that in the past the communal house was built inside the village, but later it was moved to a cleared area with a beautiful position suitable for traditional feng shui. The communal house was built in the "Nhi" character layout, with the Dai Bai and Hau Cung separated by a ceremonial yard; outside there is a courtyard, on both sides of the courtyard are left and right corridors, and at the outermost are a well and a surrounding wall. The large Dai Bai has a four-roof design with four curved roof corners, and many communal-house columns are made of blue stone with circular cross-sections 50 cm in diameter. In 1948, when the French attacked, Quang Yen Village was a place where they often ambushed to capture soldiers and guerrillas while intimidating the villagers. Implementing the call for national resistance, the people of Quang Yen Hamlet decided to destroy the village communal house as part of the scorched-earth resistance.

Later, the people of Quang Yen Hamlet together rebuilt the Hau Cung on the old foundation, then the Dai Bai and left and right corridors. Currently, Quang Yen Communal House faces south-southwest, with its back to the Day River dike, in the "Nhi" character layout with the Dai Bai and Hau Cung parallel to each other; outside is a large courtyard, on both sides are left and right corridors, and in front of the courtyard are a screen and a rectangular communal-house well. Rows of ancient trees around the communal house area cast shade, giving the house a sacred space and a quiet, ancient look.

Over its existence, Quang Yen Communal House has preserved many precious artifacts of high value, such as: 01 wooden incense table from the Nguyen dynasty, 01 set of dragon throne and spirit tablet, 01 horizontal plaque, etc. In addition, there are other worship objects: flags, fans, offering trays, ceremonial clothes, etc.

The Quang Yen Communal House festival is held from the 9th to the 11th day of the first lunar month every year, with rituals: Te, Le, and a procession organized every 5 years. The Quang Yen Communal House festival is a festival of agricultural residents with the purpose of praying for national peace and prosperity and for people's health and material abundance. The festival is a cultural, religious, belief, and community-art activity that helps unite the nation, reminds people of their roots, expresses gratitude to ancestors, and is also an occasion for local people to enjoy themselves after days of hard work.