Preserving and promoting the historical and cultural relic value of Lac Dao communal house

Lac Dao Communal House (also known as Ca Communal House), Group 6, Tran Lam Ward (Thai Binh City) was recognized as a provincial historical and cultural relic in 2005. This is a sacred ancient communal house that attracts many people and tourists to worship and visit. Every year, on January 5 and August 15 (lunar calendar), local people are busy preparing for the communal house festival.

New look of Lac Dao communal house relic after restoration and embellishment.

Beautiful memories of the village temple

Ms. Tran Thu Khanh Ha, a cultural and social official of Tran Lam ward, said: Based on the 12 royal decrees of the Nguyen dynasty, Lac Dao communal house was built around the end of the 10th century (Dinh dynasty), the beginning of the 11th century (pre-Le dynasty). In front of the communal house, there is a long river flowing from Ky Bo estuary to Tra Ly river (later people blocked a section to make a communal pond) and there is Quan field. In 1038 and 1065, King Ly Thai Tong visited Ky Bo Hai Khau, choosing Quan field as one of the locations for the Tich Dien ceremony. Lac Dao communal house worships the Saint Nam Hai Dai Vuong, the Saint Dong Hai Dai Vuong, Princess My Chau, Tran Minh Cong (aka General Tran Lam) and gods who have contributed to the country.

After the success of the August Revolution, the communal house was the place where many important activities serving the revolutionary cause took place. Mr. Pham Xuan Ngoan, group 6, Tran Lam ward shared: For generations, the communal house has been a place for community activities, organizing meetings of the people. When I was a child, whenever the communal house had a festival, I often came here with my friends to play marbles, hide and seek, watch cockfighting... The communal house organizes festivals twice a year, but the happiest is the Mid-Autumn Festival, when children in the neighborhood can participate in camping. Therefore, the communal house has become a place that I am attached to, close and intimate from my childhood until now.

To preserve and promote the cultural values of the communal house, local people are now actively caring for and protecting the communal house.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bup, who has been in charge of taking care of the communal house for nearly 20 years, confided: This communal house has existed since the day I was born. My parents said it was very sacred, the earliest and largest built at that time. I just hope to have the health to take care of the communal house. Here, I feel peaceful and my soul is relaxed.

Socialization of restoration and embellishment of relics

Through the ups and downs of history, Lac Dao communal house has been damaged and degraded. In 2022, the communal house was renovated and embellished on the old foundation. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairman of Tran Lam Ward People's Committee, said: Lac Dao communal house was renovated and embellished with a total cost of more than 1.7 billion VND, of which the state budget was more than 27 million VND, the rest was mobilized from people and businesses. The renovation and embellishment process was carried out in accordance with the procedures and instructions of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, ensuring the preservation of historical values.

Ms. Vu Thi Hoan, Group 8, Tran Lam Ward said: Lac Dao communal house relic has existed for a long time. Previously, the communal house was seriously degraded. With the desire to restore the local communal house so that people have a place to return to and burn incense, my family contributed money, construction materials to build the communal house gate and repair some items of the relic with a total amount of over 200 million VND.

After being invested, renovated and upgraded, Lac Dao communal house relic has become more beautiful and spacious. In order to preserve and promote the value of the historical and cultural relic, in parallel with upgrading and embellishing, the Party Committee and the government of Tran Lam ward have also increased promotion and propaganda so that more and more people and tourists from all over the country know about the place. In 2023, the traditional festival of Lac Dao communal house will be held for 3 days on September 28, 29, 30 (August 14, 15, 16 of the lunar calendar). The festival will feature activities such as the Long communal house procession, incense offering ceremony, and female mandarin worship... In addition, there will be attractive folk cultural and artistic activities.