Admiring the twin rice plants next to the majestic ancient communal house in Hai Phong

Quan Khai Communal House is an ancient architectural work of great scale and grandeur, worshiping the village's tutelary god, Tan Vien Son Thanh Bui Thien Quy - one of the four immortal saints in the spiritual beliefs of the Vietnamese people. On both sides of the East and West gates of the communal house stand two kapok trees over 120 years old, recognized as Vietnamese heritage trees in 2014.

The heritage tree at the East gate is separate from the communal house gate, its canopy spreads out, providing shade for visitors from all directions when coming to the ancient communal house.

The tree is about 30m high, the base of the tree has a circumference of more than 6m. From the base of the tree to the trunk is full of mossy lumps.

The tree canopy spreads out hundreds of meters, its branches and leaves are luxuriant despite hundreds of years of storms and winds.

Opposite the kapok tree at the east gate, the kapok tree at the west gate is similar in height, circumference of the base and shape of the foliage. According to the village elders, these two kapok trees are as old as the communal house. When the communal house was built, people planted kapok trees with the hope that the village god would bless the villagers with plenty of rice and a prosperous life.

The base of the kapok tree at the west gate also had thick lumps. Small branches grew under the base, with diameters larger than a hand span. According to the elders, during the years of the resistance war against the French, under the kapok tree there was a 7-room communal house that served as a transit point for wounded soldiers of the Kien An-Hai Phong front. The two kapok trees were where guerrillas climbed to monitor the enemy situation from afar, and were the “flagpoles” of the revolutionary army.

The two kapok trees not only enhance the overall beauty of the Quan Khai communal house landscape but also have great ecological value. Mr. Khuc Van Huu - the caretaker of Quan Khai communal house - said: Every year in the third lunar month, right on the occasion of the Quan Khai communal house festival, both sides of the communal house gate are bright red with kapok flowers. Thousands of children of Quan Khai village and visitors from all over come to attend the festival, admire the beauty of the communal house, and see the clusters of kapok flowers glowing red in the spring sunshine.

Along with the heritage rice pair, Quan Khai communal house still preserves quite completely the original value of a Vietnamese communal house built in the early 20th century. With its unique architecture, in 1992, Quan Khai communal house was recognized as a national architectural and artistic relic.