Dong Le Communal House, Hop Dong Commune (Chuong My District, Hanoi City), is dedicated to Linh Lang Dai Vuong – a talented general of the Ly Dynasty, son of King Ly Thai Tong, who played a significant role in repelling the invading Song forces and protecting the territory of Dai Viet.
According to legend, after Linh Lang Dai Vuong passed away, the villagers built a communal house on the rice field of Dong Le village, the place where they had dreamt of his battle flag planted in the ground. The villagers honored him as the village guardian deity to show their gratitude and respect for the national hero.
Dong Le Communal House was constructed in the 7th year of King Tu Duc’s reign (1854) under the Nguyen Dynasty and was later restored in the Canh Thin year (1940) during King Bao Dai’s reign. Over the course of history, Dong Le Communal House has not only served as a spiritual and cultural space for the community but also functioned as a venue for communication, meetings, and mobilizing the people to participate in the resistance against French colonialists and the American empire. The communal house has become a symbol of patriotism, resilience, and loyalty of the people of Dong Le in the national liberation struggle.
Art performance welcoming the Traditional Festival of Dong Le Village and the inauguration of the Upper Hall of the communal house, Lunar New Year of the Wood Snake 2025. Photo: Thu Hien
With these exceptional values, in 1991, the People’s Committee of Ha Tay Province ranked Dong Le Communal House as a provincial-level historical and cultural relic. In 2020, the People’s Committee of Hanoi City recognized the royal decree at Dong Le Communal House as a rare and valuable archival document.
To preserve and promote the values of the relic, in 2024, three main structures of Dong Le Communal House were rebuilt: the Upper Hall, Incense Burning House, and Morning Offering Pavilion, with a total budget of VND 14.5 billion from the state budget. In addition, local residents actively contributed over VND 2 billion to complete the landscaping, courtyard, and auxiliary systems, raising the total investment to more than VND 16.5 billion.
The completed structures were ready in time to serve the Village’s traditional festival of Lunar New Year of the Wood Snake 2025. This year, the festival was organized solemnly with ceremonial rites: the procession of the village guardian deity and rituals honoring predecessors who contributed to the country, along with lively festival activities featuring traditional folk games such as chess, blindfolded clay pot smashing, blindfolded goat catching, climbing greasy poles, bamboo bridge walking, and Cheo singing… attracting a large number of locals and tourists.
The restoration of Dong Le Communal House’s structures helps raise community awareness in preserving and promoting local historical and cultural values, passing on good values to future generations, and creating motivation for developing spiritual and cultural tourism in Chuong My District.
Ngoc Tram