ĐÌNH BANG SITE

Leaving Phù Đổng, you should turn back to National Highway N°1 A, and go North-ward to Milestone N°15 to enter the territory of Bắc Ninh Province. You are now in Đình Bảng Village belonging to Tiên Sơn District. Turn right and after a kilometer’s distance, you will arrive at the residential quarter.
Đình Bang is a populous rich village of Tiên Sơn District. The villagers earn their living by both agriculture and trade. Formerly, they specialized in silk trade, but now they deal in various industrial handicraft articles. Here, there are three places worth visiting: the village communal house, Lý Bát Đế Temple (also called Đô Temple) and the site of Lý Kings’ mausoleum.
Concerning the most famous ancient communal houses1 of the former Kinh Bắc region, there is a well known folk-song:
“in the classification of communal houses, Đông Khang ranks first
Đình Bang second, while Diêm occupies an honorable third position

Đông Khang Communal House has no longer existed for ages. So, the communal house of Đình Bảng Village has become the most renowned architectural structure of this wealthy ancient region which is very rich in cultural traditions.
It is built on an elevated ground, facing the South and surrounded by 17 lakes and ponds, which are vestiges of the Tiêu Tương River. Legend has it that the Lý Kings had canals dug so that the Village could be communicated to the Duong River by water-way and thus one could travel by boat from the capital of Thang Long to the Village.
There used to be magnificient structures. Yet, all of them were destroyed during wars except the worshipping hall (great hall) and a corridor leading to the back sanctuary. The whole structure looks like the letter I.
The worshipping hall has a rectangular shape (length: 20 m; width: 14 m), divided into seven compartments and two wings. It stands on a base of blue stone with stairs; from the base to the top, it is eight metres high. The four roofs of the communal house, with thick, wide curved tiles, which accounts for two thirds of the total height of the house, is expanded so as to cover the verandah. The House looks imposing yet remains elegant with the curved corners. These roofs weighing a few tons are supported by 60 columns of iron wood of various sizes and a framework made of precious wood. The finely carved motifs on them include the dragon, phoenix, pine, chrysanthemum, small bamboo, apricot flower, vine gourd, sword, etc. It should be noted that there are particularly many motifs of dragon (the number exceeds 500).
Each of the four sides of the worshipping hall has a frame to support a multi-boarded door. Its floor is paved in the middle with red rectangular bricks. The compartments on both of its sides have wooden bars supporting wooden boards put together as a floor. This floor is 0.7 m higher than the base of the Communal House. The structure evokes a house on stilts of the ancient Việt. Its framework is very solid although the components are fitted together only by different kinds of tenons. In 1954, when the French colonists were going to withdraw, they bound the columns with chains attached to tanks with a view to pulling them and so making the house collapse, but they failed in their attempt. Among the adornments of the Communal House, the most noteworthy ones are the sagging door and the ceiling of the middle compartment covered with fine sculptures of various motifs: ancient square old Chinese characters; flowers such as the orchid, chrysanthemum, small bamboo and apricot; fabulous creatures such as the dragon, phoenix, unicorn. This testifies to the high talent of the decoration artisans. Particular is the sculpture in relief called “Eight Horses” on the stretched board under the balustrade linking the row of the bigger columns with that of the smaller ones. These animals are depicted in different postures (galloping, caprioling, gambolling, grazing, drinking water), etc., in an artistic and lively style.
The construction of the Communal House was started in 1736 and took a few decades’continuous work. The House is dedicated to the worship of three titulary deities: Cao Sơn Đại Vương (the God of Earth), Thủy Bá Đại Vương (the God of Waters) and Bạch Lệ Đại Vương (the God of Agriculture), who are beneficent protectors for the villagers.
Every year, on the 12th of the 2nd lunar month, a festival is held to commemorate these deities. Many entertainments and competitions are organized on the large ground in front of the Communal House: Chinese chess, wrestling, swinging, cock- fighting, etc. At night, there are performances of Chèo folk opera. In particular, there is quan họ (alternate singing on boats on the lake). On board, there are two sides: the young men’s and the girls’. They have a dialogue in the form of alternating songs which are melodious, romantic and attractive to many people.
The Communal House is also the place of worship of Lục Tổ: six founders of the Village in the 15lh century. The anniversary of their death is commemorated on the 6th of the 1st lunar month. Five hundred meters away from the Communal House to the North is Lý Bát Đế Temple (Đô Temple) dedicated to eight Lý Kings (1009-1225), which was built long ago but was completely destroyed by the French troops in 1950. Lately, in 1990, it was rebuilt. In the Temple there are eight statues of eight Lý Kings and eight palankeens which are carried in procession in the annual festival held on the 15th of the 3rd lunar month. Near the main Temple, there is a smaller shrine dedicated to the worship of Lý Chiêu Hoàng, a princess of the Posterior Lý, who became the 9th King of this dynasty. After her marriage, she abdicated in favour of her husband, Trần Cảnh, who was enthroned as King Trần Thái Tông (1225 - 1258).
In the middle of the village field, where there used to be a large forest called Báng (which was cut down at the beginning of the 20th century), there are the tombs of the eight Lý Kings. This site bears a common name of Thọ Lãng but the precise location of each tomb is still unknown.

1. In Vietnam, each village has its communal house which fulfils two functions:
- A place dedicated to the worship of the tutelary deity, the god-protector of the village;
- A place of meeting where the villagers gather to discuss the affairs related to the life of the village.