Dong Xa communal house

Dong Xa communal house is located in residential area 7, Buoi Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi. To visit the monument we can go by many different routes, using most means of transport. It is best to take the main route as follows: From Bo Ho Post Office, go along Hang Khay Street, Trang Thi Street to South Gate, follow Dien Bien Street, Hung Vuong Street, turn left onto Thuy Khue Street. According to the number 444, it is the communal house of Dong Xa commune (the communal house is adjacent to the Mat Dung Pagoda).

Based on the history, ordained, divine and folk legends, it is said that the communal house worshiped two gods: Bao Huu Dai Vuong and Quy Minh Dai Vuong. Legend said: Back in King Hung's reign, in Hai Duong there are two twin brothers, the brother's name is Nguyen Cao Hanh, his younger brother is Nguyen Cao Ban, his family has a reputation as a nice family, filial piety with ancestors, kind to all people so they are well known. When the two men are born, the family is necessitous. Then the two brothers had to wander to earn a living as a trader, going to Son Tay in Da Bac and then to Lang Xuoc cave, two brothers settled in that land. After a few years two brothers became rich and married there. The older brother married to Dinh Thi Dien, his brother married a girl Truong Thi Hoan. Since then, the two brothers have been married and became wealthy, rich and fortunate, the two brothers decided to do humanitarian charity, after which they both gave birth to a son.

One day the wife of the younger brother dreamed of riding a golden dragon flying to the sky and getting two stars, swallowing them then returning, she then woke up. From then on, she was 14 months pregnant. On the 16th day of the year of the dragon, she gave birth to two sons, both of them are very handsome, the parents were very loving and named Hien Cong and Sung Cong. One day, Nguyen Cao Hanh's wife saw the golden dragon and the five colors cloud. She was then 14 months pregnant and then gave birth to Tan Vien Son Thanh. According to the old saying, the father of Tan Vien Son Thanh is Nguyen Cao Hanh, his mother is Dinh Thi Dien living in Lang Xuong. At the age of over 70, they lived in harmony with others and filial piety to their ancestors. At that time, Mr. Ban had two sons in less than a dozen days, his wife suddenly died on March 12. Mr. Ban brought two children to his older brother for nourishment. From then on, his elder brother Cao Hanh took care of his two children. At that time, Tan Vien Son Thanh, who was then 2 years old, was named Nguyen Tung. Time passed, three children came to the age of intellectual capital, intelligence. Unfortunately, Mr. Hanh and Mr. Ban both died on December 15. Mrs Dinh buried them then took the children to live in Thieu Linh Ngoc mountain for 5 years and was helped by an old woman named Ma Thi Than Nu. After 3 years, they returned to Lang Xuong. At that time, she was very poor and had no place to live. Later she was helped by Ma Loi, at which time she suddenly died on May 10th. Back then all of them were over 20 years old and very intelligent. Each of them was assigned one direction: the elder brother in the middle of Tan Vien mountain, the second he held the left (Lang Son mountain) and the third he holds the right (Non Son mountain).

Son Thanh after marrying Hung Due Vuong’s daughter, King Thuc brought troops to attack Van Lang. The king went with Son Thanh and his two brothers. Son Thanh then ordered Vu Cong and his two brothers Bao Cong and Tu Cong to be in charge of the army. The Vu are the descendants of the king, after defeating the Thuc army they pass away in Dan Ne on Dong Co mountain in Yen Dinh district. In the Ly dynasty, Ly Thai Tong sent troops to conquer Champa. That night, the king dreamed of a tall, high-dressed man who went directly to the dragon's court. The king asked, "What do you have here?" He said, "I was a general in King Hung’s reign, came from Dong Co mountain. After this, the king came to the communal house and asked for help to save the country. The king was informed to bring troops to Dong Da Mountain in Dan Ne District (Thanh Hoa) and commanded the army to make a ceremony and then go into the war against Champa soldiers. After the king returned to the capital, the next day dreamed that the gods reported that: the third king would betray him, things were too rushed. Then God went to the Dong Trung Pagoda in Yen Thai ward and then disappeared.

The king was awakened and witnessed the conspiracy so he set up his temple on the land next to the capital city of To Lich River in the south of Yen Thai ward.

... Back then all three of them was stationed in Dong Xa for a few days, Vu Cong divided the troops to go into the land of Hoan Chau, Bao Cong and Tu Cong stay to consider the site to set up large posts to fight back the Thuc. The next day they went to see the terrain where it was possible that this place had good terrain that could be a place to set up a large post to fight the enemy. The next day, people built a camp to take the To Lich River to the front to set up the center of the camp. Their merits are as high as mountains, as deep as the sea, touching all the people. From then the nation is peaceful, there aren’t big problems that happens, people's life is full and living in peace and prosperity. The king called the army back to the court. The next day, the two men went back to the palace to meet the king. Since then they have been in charge of the country with Tan Vien Son Thanh.

One day (February 2), the two of them took a carriage ride back to their former residence (Yen Thai ward). They stayed for nearly a dozen days and then returned to their horses to travel to 300 barracks that were stationed throughout. On November 12, Bao Cong returns to his hometown in the Son Nam as he crosses a small river, suddenly a hurricane floats, the sky is suddenly darkened, the waves soaring, The flowers clustered around his boat, he sinks and disappears.

On the same day, Tu Cong was in his hometown in Non Son Mountain looking at the water. When he was standing on the mountain suddenly a cloud of five colors came to him, the dark earth, the gods came from heaven and he went on the clouds to go to heaven. After the two men lost the king ordered the people to set up the temple and allowed Thanh Dong and Son Son (where they were) to worship them, Yen Thai, Bong Lai is the place where the ceremony to remember them will occur.

Dong Xa communal house is located on highland, adjacent to Mat Dung Pagoda near Thuy Khue street with an area of ​​510.9m2. The house has been moved three times, the last time in 1903 moved from the village adjacent to Mat Dung Pagoda.

At present, the components of the monument include the gate in front, the courtyard and the communal house including the altar and the harem.

The architectural value of the communal house is also preserved through five bungalows - typical of the Nguyen Dynasty. Traditional values ​​are displayed quite elaborately through the woods, writing characters ... all are shown in harmony, strength, durability for the house but not too stiff. Particularly in the communal house, there are many relics of high cultural and historical value: the altar, the throne, the tablet of three gods Tan Vien, Cao Son, Quy Minh are all. Mountain god of Tan Vien - Nam Nhac so often worshiped in long throne posters), wooden palms, lacquered, parallel sentences, stone tablet, ordained. These are valuable examples that help to understand the local history and customs of the village community. The communal house is also the place where he dedicated his paper business originating from China. - He taught local people to print the paper for Uncle Ho's will.

For the people in the area, the communal house is the center of cultural and spiritual activities of the resident community, where the moral education of “drinking water remembers the source”, the place of prayer for the good of all classes of people. At the same time, it also preserves the values ​​of customs and habits of the people here. The communal house is a worshiping place for gods who have merit with the people, with the country as a meeting place for elderly people, the management committee of monuments and the place where annual festivals take place. The preservation and protection of the communal house for future generations is a manifestation of the values ​​of the cultural heritage of the capital.

The communal house has been ranked as the relics of the history of architecture and art in Decision No. 381 / QD-UB dated January 18, 2006 by Hanoi People's Committee.