Vinh Loc Communal House

Vinh Loc Communal House dates back to the Later Le period and bears the name of the village, so it is called Vinh Loc Communal House. Before the 19th century, the village was named Chuong Loc; in the early 20th century it was called Vinh Loc.

According to the genealogy of the tutelary deity compiled by Nguyen Binh, Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, in the first year of Hong Phuc (1572), Vinh Loc Communal House worships the village tutelary deity Thien Cuong Dai Vuong. During the Ly dynasty, following the dike of the Nhi River (Red River), with 50,000 troops under his command, King Ly Thai To (1009-1028) traveled by water to Tu Nhien sandbank when a storm arose. The king had his soldiers go ashore to rest. The king entered Vinh Loc village (a few thousand meters from Tu Nhien sandbank) and stayed one night in an ancient shrine. King Ly Thai To was told in a dream by the deity that Thien Cuong would secretly aid him in defeating the Champa invaders who were advancing to attack and ravage Thang Long capital. The next morning, the king continued to send his troops to campaign against the foreign invaders. After winning the battle, the king granted the villagers five gold ingots to build a shrine to Thien Cuong Dai Vuong. The foundation of that shrine later became the site where the villagers built the present communal house. The main architectural layout of the communal house is structured in the shape of the Chinese character 'nhị' (二), comprising the Dai Bai (great worship hall) and the Hau Cung (rear sanctuary). In addition, the communal house has two rows of left and right side corridors, a system of columns, and surrounding walls with elaborate plastering and painting. The Dai Bai of Vinh Loc Communal House is a fairly large architectural work, 18 m long and 9 m wide, divided into five bays with 24 large lim wood columns, each with an average circumference of 1.42 m. The roof frame of the Dai Bai is structured in the stacked purlin and bracket style. The bracket panels were carved by folk artisans with themes such as 'carp and dragon playing in water' or 'four sacred creatures passing the eight treasures'... quite elaborately, with harmonious and exquisite composition. On the first beam of the left bay of the Dai Bai, Chinese characters are still carved: 'Canh Hung tu thap luc nien dai tu coc nhat luong thoi kien truc thuong luong' (Canh Hung 46th year, major repair, on an auspicious day and good time, the upper beam was erected). Thus, Vinh Loc Communal House was extensively renovated in the 46th year of Canh Hung (1785), more than 200 years ago. At present, traces of where the floor was formerly fitted remain below the columns. The Hau Cung of Vinh Loc Communal House is approximately the same length as the Dai Bai and is close to it. The rear roof of the Dai Bai and the front roof of the Hau Cung share a single water gutter. During the resistance war against the French, this gutter was a secret hiding place for guerrillas and provincial and district cadres.

Vinh Loc Communal House was ranked as an architectural and artistic relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1987.
Source: Hanoi Scenic Sites and Relics, Volume 02