Chí Hòa Communal House

Chí Hòa Communal House, formerly named Hòa Hưng Communal House (as it was located in the area of Hòa Hưng village), was later renamed Chí Hòa Communal House (as the village changed its name); it is currently located in alley number 475, Cách Mạng Tháng Tám street, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This is one of the oldest communal houses in the city, and has been recognised by the Ministry of Culture as a National-level historical and cultural relic under decision number 1460 - QĐ/VH k.

The year of establishment of Chí Hòa Communal House is unknown; it is only known that the communal house was built after Marshal Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh came south to administer the region (1698) and established villages for Vietnamese settlers.

Initially, Chí Hòa Communal House was built rather simply in the shape of the character "tam" (三), with plank walls and yin-yang tiled roof. After being granted a royal decree by Emperor Tự Đức (16th day of the 2nd lunar month, Year of the Rat, 1852), the communal house was rebuilt solidly and underwent several renovations thereafter.

In the past, the grounds of the communal house covered more than one mẫu (hectare), but have now been reduced due to encroachment. Even the large banyan tree in front of the communal house, with a trunk that required three people to embrace and aerial roots hanging down from the trunk, was cut down in 1980, causing the landscape of the communal house to change significantly....

Chí Hòa Communal House currently has an area of 492 m² (32.8 m x 15 m), consisting of three parts: võ ca (i.e. stage, facing the main hall), main hall, and east and west wings (on either side of the main hall); built on a platform 0.5 m high, roofed with yin-yang tiles, the ridge ends adorned with dragon tails, and on the roof is a "two dragons vying for a pearl" sculpture made of green ceramic.

Inside the main hall is a set of precious wooden columns with a diameter of 30 cm, height from 4 to 7 m, together with the system of beams (with sophisticated mortise and tenon techniques) forming the load-bearing frame for the communal house roof. In addition, there are carved wooden screens with openwork designs of the "four sacred animals" or "four seasons of famous flowers" arranged both decoratively and structurally to support the beams and columns.

The main hall worships the "Thành hoàng Bổn cảnh" (Local Tutelary Deity), above which hangs a horizontal lacquered board inscribed with four Han characters: "Thần Minh Chánh Trực" (Spirit of Uprightness). The Left and Right Ban altars are on either side. Facing each other are two altars: Phước Đức chánh thần (God of Land) and Đông Trù tư mệnh (Kitchen God). In addition, there are also altars to the Five Element Goddesses (Ngũ hành nương nương), and to the teacher Võ Trường Toản, etc.

Outside the main hall, there are altars to the God of Agriculture (Thần Nông) and the Tiger God (Thần Hổ).

The east wing is narrow and used as a storeroom. The west wing is larger, with two altars to the Forebears (Tiền hiền) and Later Worthies (Hậu hiền), who contributed to the founding and development of the village.

The Kỳ yên Festival is held annually on the 16th day of the 2nd lunar month (the day Emperor Tự Đức granted the royal decree to the communal house), to pray for "national peace and prosperity".

Chí Hòa Communal House also preserves many cultural and historical events of old Gia Định land, such as:

Between 1785-1792, the teacher Võ Trường Toản opened a school in the grounds of the communal house. From this class emerged many famous historical figures such as: Ngô Tùng Châu, Trịnh Hoài Đức, Lê Quang Định, Ngô Nhân Tịnh, etc.

From 1915 to 1917, the Heaven and Earth Society movement led by Phan Xích Long against the French colonialists chose Chí Hòa Communal House as the place for secret martial arts training.

In 1945, the Vanguard Youth movement rose up everywhere, and Chí Hòa Communal House again became lively. On 25 August 1945, from the communal house, youths of the movement armed with spears and sticks rushed into the streets to fight the French. Inside the communal house, beneath the stage (võ ca), there was a secret cellar used by the Vanguard Youth forces during that period.

In addition to the aforementioned historical value, the artefacts in the communal house are also noteworthy, such as sets of Han-character couplets inlaid with mother-of-pearl and ritual objects (such as the Eight Treasures set, gongs, drums, parasols, etc.) that have existed for many years. Previously, the communal house had an old set of couplets made by the students of Võ Trường Toản as a gift to their teacher, inlaid with the following two lines:

Sanh tiền giáo dưỡng đắc nhân vô tử như hữu tử

Một hậu lưu danh tại thế, tuy vong giã bất vong.

Tentative translation:

While alive, teaching and nurturing people, though childless, is as if having children.

When gone, though departed, one's reputation still remains in the world.

Regrettably, due to time and poor preservation, the couplets were broken and decayed in 1980.