Minh Nghia Shrine

Commonly known as Minh Nghia Shrine, Dai Dong 3 Hamlet, Thach That Commune - Hanoi, about 35 km from the center of Hanoi, with convenient access by motorized vehicle. It is a city-level Historical-Cultural Relic under Decision No. 795/QD-UBND dated July 29, 1998.

According to local residents, Minh Nghia Shrine was built during the Later Le dynasty in the center of Minh Nghia village, amid a densely populated residential area that creates a warm, close-knit atmosphere. The shrine worships the Local Land Deity and was conferred the title Quang Hau Hoang Thi Pho and granted the title Linh Hau Trung Dang Than, protecting all the people of Minh Nghia village with peace, prosperity, and favorable weather. The shrine also worships local scholars who passed examinations and people who left blessings for the community. The shrine faces southeast and includes architectural works such as the gate, shrine courtyard, front worship hall, main hall, and rear sanctuary. In front of the shrine gate is a well built in the traditional village-well style, providing clean water for the villagers; the well is the shrine's water-gathering place, creating balance between yin and yang and between heaven and earth. The shrine gate is built as a pillar gate with three main entrances; two tall large pillars are topped with stylized four phoenixes facing floral motifs, representing the four directions of the universe, followed by a co bong made in the mat sap style with four dragons at the four corners, and below is a square lantern with the Four Sacred Beasts in relief. The front worship hall was built during the Bao Dai period with three bays in the style of stepped gable walls with tay ngai, and at the two tay ngai are two pillars topped with two kneeling Nghe creatures in relief; the main bay of the front worship hall hangs a carved scroll of the Four Seasons inscribed with three characters, Nguong Than Huu. Across a 2 m wide courtyard are the main hall and rear sanctuary, built with three roofs and sharply curved roof corners, covered with thin patterned ri tiles. Inside the rear sanctuary is a worship niche for the tutelary deity of Minh Nghia village, a dragon throne and memorial tablet dating from the Nguyen dynasty, intricately carved, along with many valuable relics such as two large plaques, Van Co Anh Linh and Dai Linh Than... Under the feudal period, the shrine was granted royal edicts permitting villagers to worship, a system of edicts and strict village conventions, and it is a place for cultural activities of all Minh Nghia villagers.