Thanh Dam Temple

(Baonghean) - Right in the center of Nam Tan commune (Nam Dan district), an ancient communal house has been restored to serve as a community cultural center for the entire commune. The majestic presence of the communal house not only contributes to restoring the beauty of Nam Tan village, but also evokes memories of an ancient cultural life of the local people...

A view of Thanh Đàm communal house.

According to the elders in the village, the ancient Thanh Dam communal house used to be located next to the Lam River. In front of the communal house was a bustling market selling local specialties such as molasses, brown sugar, and clams. The communal house was built in 1899 (the year of the Pig) and completed at the end of 1900 (the year of the Rat). Facing southeast, it is dedicated to the Water God. The communal house has a beautiful architecture; inside, there are 10 gables, with carvings of flowers, leaves, birds, and animals at both ends; four dragon heads on the two central trusses; two southern trusses with dragons holding pearls; and two northern trusses with fierce, outstretched dragons. It is said that the four dragon heads were secretly made by two groups of carpenters from Thai Yen. Three days after they erected the trusses, the group that carved the dragons holding pearls won the competition and was rewarded 10 copper coins by the council of elders. On that day, Mr. Hieu, a native of Dien Chau, was invited by the village to set up an altar and perform a vegetarian feast, praying for national peace and prosperity, and for the village to be peaceful and joyful. Mr. Hieu composed a poem praising the beauty of the communal house, which the elderly villagers still remember vividly: “Our village now enjoys a gentle and warm atmosphere. The land is stable, with twenty acres of densely populated and ancient people. The Ky Phuc communal house has five main bays. The incense altar is clearly visible, bearing the inscription of longevity. The Minh Duong gate surrounds the Lam River. The silver waves are smooth, the wind blows gently, and the whales and crocodiles are silent. The Xuan Vu temple stands behind the Dun mountain. Its golden roof shines brightly in the moonlight, stirring up the wild wolves. The scenery is further embellished by heaven. Many beautiful girls and handsome boys are numerous and talented. Those with literary and martial skills are all wealthy and prosperous. The extraordinary heroes, with their wrinkled skin and graying hair, stand shoulder to shoulder in the realm of longevity and spring. Their sturdy and robust bearing seems unwavering.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh, a cultural officer of Nam Tan commune, introduced the restoration process of the communal house: Over time, due to land erosion and sedimentation, Nam Tan was relocated more than 2 km from the old village, and the old communal house also deteriorated due to war, natural disasters, and floods. In 2009, in accordance with the wishes of the elderly, the local government decided to restore the old communal house, bringing back the ancient beauty to the village. With the unanimous support of the entire commune, each household contributing at least 50,000 VND, plus 420 million VND from the province and 250 million VND from the district, by the end of 2009, the old Thanh Dam communal house was renovated into a spacious and beautiful structure entirely of ironwood, with a total cost of over 1.7 billion VND. Currently, the Thanh Dam communal house has become the Community Learning Center of Nam Tan commune, located within the commune's grounds, next to the Martyrs' Monument. In the future, according to the new rural development criteria, Nam Tan will re-plan the commune's People's Committee area, returning the grounds to Thanh Dam communal house, so that it will become a cultural and spiritual tourism destination attracting people from the 9 Nam region and surrounding areas.

Thanh Thuy