Situated in Mui village (Thuong Tin, Hanoi), Sàn communal house, also known as the communal house of Mui village, was a rustic place made of local natural materials. Due to the natural disadvantages of the previous area, it was moved to another place and rebuilt in 1925, which is its current location.
The relic worships 4 Tutelary God of the village; tales are told, among the 80-man army of Dual Queens Hai Ba Trung during the war with Han dynasty in 43 AC, there were 4 men surviving, these people had become the Guardian of the Mui village.
Facing the South, Sàn communal house is lying parallel to Hưng Thánh Quán pagoda (known as Mui Pagoda in the Ly dynasty), which consists of a traditional 3-door entrance and a round pond. In between the 2 places is a shrine worshipping Elder Hậu – a woman who significantly contributed her land and wealth to the village after her death; the residents decided to build a place as for commembering her dedication.
The structure of Sàn communal house is noticed for its wood material – Gỗ Trai – a distinctively unique and rare thick wood. As time goes by, the colour of the wood fades away, turns into a silver-like covering; this is a truly rare detail that cannot be found in any other Vietnamese traditional architecture.
Photo
Trieu Chien
Location
Thuong Tin, Hanoi, Vietnam
