Viet Nam News
by Phuoc Buu
Communal houses in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue sit forgotten, left to degrade into ruins after being deserted in the process of urbanisation. These remnants of Hue’s old community include buildings recognised as national heritage sites.
One communal house, The Lai Thuong, is representative of this tragic trend. It is left forgotten in Phu Hiep Ward in the provincial capital city of Hue as The Lai Thuong Village developed into an urban ward.
Communal houses served as community gathering places for meetings and rituals, and as entertaining playgrounds for residents.
Locals in the ward, however, say they have rarely visited the communal house in recent decades as community gatherings have become less common in midst of their bustling urban lifestyle.
Land shortages for public buildings have worsened the situation for The Lai Thuong. Its yards were turned into classrooms for Ngo Kha Primary School. The school shared its space with the old ruins, while the house’s worshipping areas are used to store broken chairs and desks.
Traditionally, each communal house reserved half of its space for worshipping gods and the founders of the village. But incense no longer burns on the intricate carved wood altars, and the building’s roofs and doors look ready to fall down.
Tran Dinh Hang, head of the Viet Nam Institute of Culture and Arts Study in Hue, says urbanisation is part of the cause.
“The situation of communal houses around the province falling into ruin is not new,” he says. “Several agencies hold responsibility but I found it sensitive to name them.”
The Lai Thuong was built more than 500 years ago in the village, accommodating the early residents of today’s city of Hue. The 1,200 sq.m premises were recognised as a national heritage site in 1999.
Lai The communal house is another national heritage site, recognised in 2001. It has been luckier than The Lai Thuong – urbanisation has come to its area slower as it is located three kilometres from the city centre.
More than half of the land of Lai The Village has been covered with modern buildings as the village has become one of the hottest real estate centres for city dwellers in the last decade. Luckily, urbanisation has yet to cover the communal house.
However, the house is degrading due to its age. Its wooden structure has many cracks and its roof leaks in numerous spots. Elderly local resident Chau Van Chuong says the villagers have mobilised a large sum of money to repair the house, and the elderly are waiting for the allocation of cultural conservation funding by provincial authorities.
Traditionally, villagers have raised funds and made their own decisions on the construction and repair of communal houses. More recently, these jobs require approval by local administrations and cultural authorities.
Lai The was built in 1741. The house is built in typical Hue architecture, which is called ruong. Ruong houses are wooden structures with beams and pillars connected by wooden and bamboo connectors, without the use of iron nails.
The house is famous for its excellent wood and concrete carvings. The entire house is a masterpiece of Vietnamese craftsmanship, according to local researchers.
An Cuu is another communal house in ruin. Situated in a crowded area of Hue, the building is forgotten just like The Lai Thuong. Due to the recent development of the city, residents around the communal house are not original villagers. They feel no responsibility to the house.
The house is not listed as a national heritage site, so governmental funds for needed repairs will not come.
But An Cuu is not in the worst state. Duong Pham is on top of the list, located in the middle of the two prominent royal heritage buildings of An Dinh Palace and King Mother Tu Cung residency.
The house has completely collapsed and its wooden parts have been grabbed by nearby residents for re-use. Its land is occupied illegally by families in temporary houses.
Local researchers have called for city authorities to rescue the communal house, but no response has been made.
Authorities in Phu Nhuan Ward once told Viet Nam News the ward was not functioning to preserve the house’s cultural history, but was working to secure capital to make the site a public place for community activities. This vision has not yet been realised.
Late researcher Ho Tan Phan once said the communal house was significant to the history of the Hue citadel, calling for assistance from the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, a local government body managing relics built by the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). But the centre has not offered any help. VNS