The communal house with oldest stele in Hà Nội

Guardians at Thanh Hà Communal House, No. 10 Ngõ Gạch, Đồng Xuân Ward, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội

The communal house was built to honor the tutelary god named Trần Lựu, a general in the Trần Dynasty (13^th century) who was granted the title “Great Lord”. According to the ancient stele, his legend is as follows:

The Great Lord’s family name was Trần and his given name was Lựu. He lived during the Trần Dynasty when Yuan-Mongol invaders occupied Việt Nam. The country was in chaos and the people lived in miserable poverty. The King told all military and civilian mandarins that, if they defeated the invaders, he would grant them power and titles. They all refused to fight except for Trần Lựu, so the King conferred upon him the title of “Ứng Chỉ Hầu”, or marquis. Trần Lựu led three thousand able-bodied soldiers to Vũ Ninh town where, thanks to his military wisdom and the strong army, the invaders were vanquished.

After his victory, Trần Lựu came back to Thanh Hà Village in Đồng Xuân District and held a great feast for his troops at the Thăng Long Citadel. He invited the most important people from surrounding villages to join the party and everyone was very happy. Trần Lựu recognized that the conditions of Thanh Hà Village were so favorable. He predicted that it would produce many talented people in the future. During his statement, dark storm clouds gathered, wind raged, and lightening flashed in the sky then, suddenly, the Great Lord disappeared into the heavens. The villagers were so awestruck, they decided to build a communal house and worship him as their tutelary god.

Thanh Hà Communal House faces the east. The three-entrance gate is built near the street with three doors of different widths. Passing through a small yard one comes upon a tiền bái (front hall) built in the closed-tip style and consisting of three rooms, the central room being lower than the other two.

The phương đình (square pavilion) is connected to the tiền bái by the back-house. It has four big pillars and two sets of rafters supporting four roofs made of beams carved with flowers, leaves, and phoenixes. Inside the back-house, there is an altar with finely carved and painted arched doors.

Thanh Hà Communal House festival is held on the 4^th day of the fourth lunar month and 15^th day of the ninth lunar month, the dates of the birth and death of their tutelary god.