Tân Thạch Communal House

Tân Thạch Communal House, formerly known as Thạch Hồ Communal House, was located in Thạch Hồ hamlet, Hòa Bình canton, Vĩnh Tường district, Định Tường province; it is now situated in Hamlet 9, Tân Thạch commune, Châu Thành district, about 12.5 km southeast of the centre of Bến Tre city (Vietnam).

The communal house began construction in 1841, with Mr. Nguyễn Quý Bằng donating land and mobilising the people to contribute. The communal house was built within a large compound with a total area of over 7,600 m2, of which the building itself covers about 1,250 m2. Arranged from outside inwards are:

A triple-arched gate (cổng tam quan) built of brick with a tiled roof. On either side of the entrance are two embossed parallel sentences in Vietnamese (added in recent years):

Balancing wind and rain / bringing the sea's monsoon / stabilising Thạch Hồ commune,

Aiding nature / bringing the Tiền river delta / enriching the Rạch Miễu region.

In front of the communal house courtyard stands a stone screen (bình phong) about 3 metres high, embossed with dragon and tiger motifs in the "long bàn hổ cứ" style (coiled dragon, seated tiger) to symbolise a solid and enduring land position, both convenient for defence and suitable for prosperous development, to be passed down to future generations. On either side are two parallel sentences in Chinese characters:

The tiger sits in the forest supporting the community,

The dragon soars in the moonlit palace strengthening the land.

To the left of the screen is a miếu (small shrine) dedicated to the Mountain Spirit (Sơn quân), inside worshipping the Tiger Spirit (regarded as a guardian deity, gatekeeper, and warder-off of evil spirits). To the right of the screen is a miếu dedicated to the Earth God (Thổ địa) and River God (Hà bá), with a spirit tablet inscribed "Long thần Thổ địa, Hà bá thủy quan tôn thần" (Dragon God of the Land, River God of Waterways). These are two deities: one governing the land, the other the rivers. Notably, the shrine also contains three stones, representing the Neak Tà (Ông Tà) worship of the indigenous Khmer, reflecting the cultural exchange and adaptation of Vietnamese settlers in this new land.

The communal house is built in the "tam" (三) character layout with continuous roofs, firmly supported on a blue stone embankment foundation with rows of ironwood (lim) pillars. The roof is tiled in the yin-yang style, decorated with motifs of paired dragons vying for a pearl, carp transforming into dragons, and the Eight Immortals. The floor is paved with traditional tiles, and the pillars, beams, and rafters are joined using mortise and tenon techniques. The main area of the communal house consists of three connected sections: võ ca, võ quy, and the main sanctuary (chính điện).

- Võ ca is a spacious hall with three compartments and two wings, used for ritual performances and hát bội (classical opera) during the Kỳ yên festival.

- Võ quy consists of five compartments and two wings, with crossbeams running through each pair of main pillars (in the xuyên trính architectural style), serving as the site for ritual offerings to the deities.

- The main sanctuary (chính điện) is the central building, built in the style of three compartments and two spacious wings. In front of the main sanctuary, on the right altar are two spirit tablets inscribed: "Nam Hải Cự Tộc Ngọc Lân Thần" and "Thủy Đức nương nương"; on the left altar are two tablets inscribed: "Chúa Xứ Thánh Mẫu nương nương" and "Thái giám Bạch mã mộc trụ ngũ phương tôn thần". In the centre of the main sanctuary is an altar to the National Ancestor Hùng Vương, followed by a statue of President Hồ Chí Minh. The final compartment contains a gilded altar to the Thành hoàng deity (the main tutelary god of the communal house). On the left and right are altars to: Tả ban, Hữu ban, Tiền hiền, Hậu hiền, and Đông trù tư mệnh thủ thần quân.

Connected to the main sanctuary are the kitchen (nhà trù) and the ancestral hall (nhà tiền vãng). In the ancestral hall are three altars dedicated to the "pioneering ancestors and later founders".

In addition to its value as an ancient communal house (built in 1841), the communal house still preserves many valuable artefacts, notably:

- 6 imperial decrees (sắc phong) conferring titles to deities from the Nguyễn dynasty, including 4 from the fifth year of Thiệu Trị (1845), and 2 from the third year of Tự Đức (1850).

- 4 sets of bamboo incense burners.

- 7 brass incense burners.

- 13 embossed, lacquered and gilded horizontal panels (hoành phi) of unique craftsmanship.

- 13 carved wooden screens (bao lam) used as partitions, decorated on the main pillars in the võ ca, võ quy, and main sanctuary. These artefacts date from different periods due to several restorations and repairs, but all are lacquered and gilded, intricately carved, showcasing the skill of artisans of the time.

In general, the horizontal panels, parallel sentences, and other decorations in the communal house praise the merits of the Thành hoàng deity and express the people's reverence for the god.

On 28 December 2001, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision No. 52/2001/QĐ-BVHTT recognising Tân Thạch Communal House as a National Architectural and Artistic Monument.

Every year, the Kỳ yên festival at Tân Thạch Communal House is held once in mid-July (lunar calendar) on a grand and solemn scale.