Son Dong Communal House

Son Dong Communal House is located on a beautiful plot at the edge of Son Dong village, facing west. According to local elderly residents, the communal house was built early. At present, no documents remain stating the year the communal house was founded; to estimate the date of its founding, the following evidence can be used:

On the upper beam of the central bay of the main hall of Son Dong Communal House, the following inscription remains: “Under the imperial reign of Bao Dai, Canh Ngo year, fifth year, eleventh month, seventeenth day, Dragon hour, Son Dong commune.... erecting pillar and raising upper beam, great auspiciousness” indicating that the structure was rebuilt at the Dragon hour on the 17th day of the 11th month of the fifth year of Bao Dai (1930).

Having undergone many repairs, the current architectural scale of the communal house is the result of a restoration in the early 20th century. Minor repairs were also carried out in 2006 and 2009.

The architectural structure of Son Dong Communal House has a layout in the shape of the character Nhi (=), comprising: the ceremonial gate, the main hall, and the rear sanctuary.

Son Dong Communal House worships the three Tan Vien Son deities - the Superior Deities of Son Dong commune, Son Tay town, Hanoi, including Tan Vien Son Thanh - the leading saint among the “Four Immortals” of Vietnamese folk belief – the one credited with controlling floods and protecting crops so that the people could live in warmth, plenty, and happiness.

The festival is held on the 7th and 8th days of the first lunar month every year to commemorate the merits of the three Tan Vien Son deities. This is a major festival of the ancient Doai region, long famous through the folk verse: “Even if one eats rice mixed with cassava and sweet potato, one should not miss the Doai region’s Mang Temple festival.”

With its historical, cultural, architectural, sculptural, and decorative values, together with the Mang Son Temple relic complex and Son Trung Communal House, the Son Dong Communal House relic in Son Dong commune, Son Tay town, Hanoi, was ranked as a national historical and architectural-artistic relic by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Decision No. 891/QD-BVHTTDL dated April 15, 2022.