Admire the palace-like architecture at Hai Phong's ancient communal house

Quan Khai Communal House is a national historical, cultural, architectural and artistic relic in Tien Phong Commune, Vinh Bao District, Hai Phong (before January 1, 2025, Vinh Phong Commune). The Communal House worships 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.

The current communal house was built from 1906 to 1916. The two gates to the east and west have 2 floors, 8 curved roofs, and phoenix-shaped painted corners...

The main hall has 6 high and wide roofs, covered with fish-scale tiles and 10 curved eaves.

On the roof of the communal house, there are decorative statues of "kim", "con so", "dao guot"... which are precious works that have been preserved since the day of construction until now.

Inside the communal house is a splendid scene of golden horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, votive doors, and altars that are elaborately carved and unusually large.

Quan Khai communal house preserves many handicrafts, traditional products of Vinh Bao homeland, statues of civil and military mandarins, statues of Mr. Do, statues of cranes, incense tables, altars, thrones, parallel sentences, votive doors, large characters... both bearing royal character and folk colors.

Because the trusses of Quan Khai communal house are made in the "overlapping beam and gong rack" style, a traditional style.

One difference compared to other communal houses is that the architectural parts, whether in the airy front hall or in the dark back hall, are meticulously carved. Outside the communal house, on the shelves and thresholds, there are elaborate carvings of “chrysanthemums turning into dragons, old chrysanthemums turning into phoenixes, old bamboos turning into dragons”. Looking at the sculptures here, one can imagine a miniature palace in a massive, “unique” architecture in Hai Phong City.

Quan Khai Communal House preserves quite completely the original values of a Vietnamese communal house built in the early 20th century.

In the large campus of Quan Khai communal house, there is also a crescent-shaped lake with clear blue water all year round, enhancing the landscape beauty of the ancient communal house.

Around the Quan Khai communal house is a system of ancient trees whose age is associated with the history of the communal house's formation, including two 120-year-old cotton trees. According to the village elders, when the communal house was built, people planted cotton trees with the hope that the village god would bless the villagers with a lot of rice and a prosperous life. Through time and natural disasters, the two cotton trees still stand tall and majestic, providing shade on both sides of the communal house gate. Along with Quan Khai communal house, the two cotton trees are also the pride of the people of Vinh Phong in the past (now Tien Phong commune).