Tây Đằng Communal House

Tây Đằng đình is a village đình (communal house) located in Quảng Oai commune, Hanoi city, Vietnam. The đình complex includes the main communal house, the left and right mạc (side halls), the đình courtyard, the đình gate, and a semicircular pond. It is also a special national relic of Vietnam, ranked in the fourth batch.

It is unclear when Tây Đằng đình was constructed. On the top of one of the đình's columns, the inscription 'Quý Mùi niên tạo' (made in the year of Quý Mùi) can be found, but no era name is given. Today, most researchers in Vietnam believe that Tây Đằng đình was initially built during the period when the Mạc dynasty still held power in Thăng Long (a broader timeframe could be within the Lê–Mạc cultural period). The decorative motifs bear the style of the late Lê Sơ period (16th century), though some dragon images reflect the style of the Trần dynasty.

The Tây Đằng đình features a trồng rường giá chiêng (multi-tiered beam and bracket) structure, consisting of five bays. There are eight rows of transverse columns and six rows of longitudinal columns, totalling 48 wooden columns, with the largest columns having a diameter of up to 80 cm. These columns support a tiled roof system with curved ridge ends decorated with terracotta figures of dragons, phoenixes, qilin, and turtles. The surroundings are left open, without walls. The wooden components are carved with various motifs.

The tả mạc and hữu mạc are two architectural structures on either side of the courtyard in front of the đình. The đình gate consists of five columns and has no roof. The tops of the columns are decorated with qilin figures. The gate spans the entire width of the đình courtyard from the tả mạc to the hữu mạc.

The đình serves as the workplace for village dignitaries and influential figures, as the venue for village festivals, and as the place of worship for the village's tutelary deities (including Sơn Tinh, Thánh Gióng, and Thần Nông).