Thach Than Communal House

Thach Than Communal House belongs to Thach Than 4 Hamlet, Quoc Oai Commune, Hanoi City. There are many ways to reach the relic, but the most convenient and easiest is as follows: from central Hanoi, follow Ring Road 3, Khuat Duy Tien, and Thang Long Avenue for about 15 km to Quoc Oai Commune, continue about more than 1 km to Thach Than 4 Hamlet; the relic is on the commune's inter-village road.

According to the genealogy kept at Thach Than Communal House, the communal house worships the tutelary deity Uy Tuc Dai Vuong, the supremely sacred patron god. He was a renowned and illustrious martial hero who supported the nation's destiny, protected the people, and left great grace.

Around the 6th century, when Ly Phat Tu defeated Trieu Quang Phuc's army and ascended the throne, the court discussed rewards and granted Him Uy Tuc the position of Do Thong Quan Vu, Khai Quoc Binh Quan, and issued an edict for the people to worship him as Dai Vuong Ton Than. The court assigned the Ministry of Rites to choose 17 places and granted money for the people to build places of worship. When they came to the land of Thach Than, they saw beautiful mountains and rivers, gathered auspicious energy, mountains sheltering and waters curling with many beautiful positions, so they assigned Thach Than to keep incense smoke for ten thousand years, passed down from generation to generation.

According to the elderly, Thach Than Communal House was formerly built in the middle of the village on a large scale. In 1947, the French colonialists often brought troops to Thach Than Communal House to station for sweeps of surrounding areas. Implementing the revolution's policy, the Viet Minh mobilized the people to organize the 'empty garden and empty house' policy so that the French troops had no place to station; Regiment 385 of the main force coordinated with militia and guerrillas of Binh Than Commune to destroy Thach Than Communal House, and the communal house and Van Chi no longer existed. Only Phuc Nguyen Pagoda remained intact.

In 2011, through the heartfelt and material contributions of the people of Thach Than, it was rebuilt. The communal house architecture follows the 'tien nhat hau cong' style; its components include: Nghi Mon, communal courtyard, Tien Te, Dai Bai, Ong Muong, and Hau Cung.

The communal house's artifacts such as the worship throne, horizontal lacquered boards, parallel couplets, etc. are artifacts carrying Nguyen dynasty artistic style, especially the decorations on the steles currently kept at the communal house. The main decorative motifs are 'tu qui', 'tu linh', and 'ho phu'. In addition, there are decorative panels on ritual objects such as incense tables, bat buu, command plaques, etc., all lacquered and gilded, adding solemnity to the altar.

Like other historical relics, Thach Than Communal House is a place for cultural and spiritual activities and for organizing traditional festivals. Previously, the people of Thach Than held ceremonies from the 8th to the 12th day of the 11th lunar month. On the 8th day, live fish were offered; on the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th, offerings included black pigs, sticky rice, five fruits, and 12 quid of betel with singing. Every five years, a festival was held with enough young men dressed neatly and drilling solemnly at the village communal house, reenacting the glorious exploits of the village tutelary deity to remember His merit. Currently, the people of Thach Than hold only one festival on the 10th day of the 11th lunar month. On this day, the villagers also hold a ceremony to worship the Saint, offering local products to the tutelary deity to show respect and remember His merit.