1. Where Is Kim Lien Communal House?
Kim Lien Communal House used to belong to Dong Tac, Tho Xuong District, Hoai Duc Prefecture, now Phuong Lien Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi City, Vietnam. It is about 3.5 km southwest of the city center and about 30 km southeast of Noi Bai International Airport.
2. How Is Kim Lien Communal House Unique?
Kim Lien Communal House, also known as Kim Lien Temple or Cao Son Temple, is known as one of the “Thang Long Tu Tran”. That is, 4 sacred temples worshiping 4 gods guarding the 4 directions East, West, South, North of the ancient Thang Long citadel.
This communal house has been associated with the traditions and culture of the people of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general for many centuries. This is a place with long-standing cultural and historical values. It attracts a large number of people as well as tourists to visit and worship. Moreover, this place not only preserves many valuable historical artifacts. But is also the place to hold many unique traditional festivals.
3. When Is The Best Time To Visit Kim Lien Communal House?
When coming here, people and tourists often gather at the festival of Kim Lien communal house which takes place on the 15th-16th of the 3rd lunar month every year.
In addition, on the 15th day of the month, the 1st day of the lunar month, or the beginning of the new year, people often visit to burn incense and pray. If you want to visit and pray for peace, you can come here any day of the week.
However, according to the experience of Kim Lien communal house tourism of previous tourists, the best time to visit here is in Spring and Autumn. During this time, the air is cool and pleasant, the weather is sunny and there is little rain. It creates favorable conditions for traveling, sightseeing, exploring and participating in traditional festivals here.
4. How To Get To Kim Lien Communal House?
The Kim Lien communal house is built on a high mound in the east direction of Kim Lien lagoon. To get to this communal house, you can take a bus, call a taxi, or ride a motorbike. Or if you are near the Kim Lien communal house, you can walk or use a bicycle. Some bus routes passing through this area that you can refer to are bus routes 25, 28, 35A, 51 and E03.
If you come to Hanoi by bus and arrive at Giap Bat bus station, you can move north towards Giai Phong. Then, turn right at the monthly bus ticket sales point – Giap Bat bus station to Giai Phong and travel about 1.6km. Next, turn left about 1.5km across the Vong intersection overpass and finally turn left into Xa Dan street about 500m, Kim Lien communal house is on the right.
5. Opening Hours And Entrance Fee Of Kim Lien Communal House
- Opening hours: What time is Kim Lien temple open? This temple is open from 8:00 – 18:00 every day.
- Entrance fee: free.
6. The Story Of Kim Lien Communal House
Kim Lien communal house, also known as Cao Son temple, is a place to worship Cao Son Dai Vuong. According to legend, in the 16th century, when King Le Tuong Duc led the army to quell the rebellion and restore the career of King Le Thai To, three great ministers Nguyen Ba Lan, Nguyen Hoang Du and Nguyen Van Lu together led the army to conquer.
On the way to Phung Hoa district, now the Lao temple relic, Van Phuong commune, Nho Quan, Ninh Binh province. They were surprised to see an ancient temple with the four words “Cao Son Dai Vuong” engraved on it. The incident made the king and his mandarins very curious and surprised, so they prayed for the help of the gods. After that, the rebellion was successful after 10 days.
At that time, the king built a temple to worship Cao Son god in Phung Hoa. In 1509, the king rebuilt the temple to be more spacious and beautiful in Kim Hoa. Later, Kim Lien villagers added a three-door gate and some new architectures, creating the Kim Lien communal house as we see it today. Currently, Kim Lien communal house not only worships Cao Son Dai Vuong god but also worships the Mother Goddess, the Three Palaces and President Ho Chi Minh.
7. Discovering The Beauty Of Kim Lien Communal House
7.1 Unique architecture of the ancient Thang Long Four Temples
The ancient Thang Long Four Temples are 4 extremely sacred temples: Bach Ma Temple guarding the East, Voi Phuc Temple guarding the West, Kim Lien Temple guarding the South and Quan Thanh Temple guarding the North. The following is an explanation of Kim Lien Communal House.
Kim Lien Communal House was built on a high mound near Kim Lien lagoon. The communal house gate and main door both face the West. The architecture of the communal house consists of 2 main parts: the front part of the mound has a pillar gate and a row of stilts on both sides of the brickyard, the main architectural part is the entire construction of the communal house on the high mound. Going through the large yard are 9 high brick steps built with large bricks from the Le Trung Hung period.
The main communal house consists of 3 parts: Nghi Mon, Dai Bai and Cung Cam. Nghi Mon is a 3-compartment house built in the style of closed gable walls, the architecture and decorative motifs are vividly and elaborately expressed in the Nguyen Dynasty art style. The Dai Bai House has 5 rooms renovated with traditional architectural style. The Forbidden Palace is a 3-compartment house, the last room is the place to worship Cao Son Dai Vuong, the daughter of King Le, Princess Hue Minh.
7.2 Stone Stele – The oldest relic at Kim Lien Temple
The stone stele “Cao Son Dai Vuong Than Tu Bi Minh” composed by historian Le Tung in 1510, is the most important ancient relic at Kim Lien Temple. This stele tells about the merits of Cao Son god in helping King Le regain the throne. In addition, Kim Lien Temple also has 39 other royal decrees for Cao Son god, of which 26 are from the Le Trung Hung period, 13 are from the Nguyen period and the Vinh To 02 (1620) is considered a bright spot, dating the earliest.
7.3 Kim Lien Communal House Festival is bustling
Kim Lien Communal House Festival is held from the 15th to the 16th of the 3rd lunar month every year, and the 16th is the main festival day. In addition to the main festival, there are also monthly Soc Vong ceremonies, Ky An ceremonies and the anniversary of the god’s transformation on the 12th of the 8th lunar month every year.
- On the morning of March 15th: a hair cutting competition takes place, the atmosphere is jubilant and bustling throughout Kim Lien village. This village is also famous for its barbers who cut hair and dance with scissors as skillfully as artisans. The competition ends with folk games such as pot smashing, stick pushing, … in the evening, there is a very lively music and dance festival.
- The main festival day is March 16th: early in the morning, villagers will perform a ceremony in the main hall, reading the Kim Lien Communal House prayer. After that, they respectfully offer incense in front of the communal house yard, then the clans offer elaborate and stunningly beautiful trays of food. Finally, there is a procession with 4 solemn palanquins: Long Dinh, Mr. palanquin, Mrs. palanquin and hammock palanquin. People walk in a long line from Kim Hoa Street to Dao Duy Anh and then back to Kim Lien Communal House, creating an extremely majestic image.
During the festival, people also organize many traditional games such as bird fighting, human chess, martial arts, catching ducks in the pond, …
Kim Lien Communal House Festival not only preserves the long-standing cultural identity, creating a bustling atmosphere for the villagers. But it also enriches the traditional beauty of festivals in Vietnam.
8. Specialties When Visiting Kim Lien Communal House
After visiting Kim Lien Communal House, you can stop by local restaurants to enjoy the delicious dishes of this area.
8.1 Hoang Linh Restaurant
- Address: 40 Hoang Cau Ward, Trung Liet Ward, Dong Da Ward, Hanoi.
If you love seafood and want to fill your hungry stomach with a seafood dinner, don’t miss Hoang Linh Quan. This place is famous for its delicious seafood noodle dishes, full of fresh seafood.
8.2 Anh Vu Fish Cake
- Address: 120-k1 Giang Vo Ward, Cho Dua, Dong Da, Hanoi.
When visiting Dong Da, if you have never enjoyed the extremely famous fish cake at Anh Vu Fish Cake Restaurant. It will be a mistake that will make you extremely regretful. Besides fish cake, other dishes such as fish intestines, fried fish, fish noodle with shrimp paste are also considered the “best sellers” of the restaurant.
8.3 Crab noodle soup 69
- Address: 11 O Cho Dua Ward, Cho Dua, Dong Da, Hanoi.
Coming to Dong Da and wondering what to eat tonight, we recommend you to enjoy crab noodle soup at Crab noodle soup 69, guaranteeing you will have a wonderful experience for your trip. The crab meat is sweet and firm, the noodles are soft and chewy, the broth is rich, it will definitely give you a delicious dinner.
9. Accommodation When Visiting Kim Lien Communal House
When visiting this historical site, you can refer to some of the following accommodations:
- Hacinco Hotel Hanoi. Address: 110 Thai Thinh Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi City.
- Capital Garden Hotel. Address: 4 Hoang Ngoc Phach Ward, Lang Ha, Dong Da, Hanoi.
- A83 Xa Dan Hotel. Address: Alley 83 Xa Dan Ward, Phuong Lien Ward, Dong Da Ward, Hanoi.
- A&EM Villa. Address: Address: 133 Tam Khuong Ward, Khuong Thuong Ward, Dong Da Ward, Hanoi.
- Bao Son International Hotel. Address: 50 Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, Lang Thuong, Dong Da, Hanoi.
- Pullman Hanoi Hotel. Address: Str Entrance, 40, 61 Giang Vo Ward, Hanoi.
- Kuretake Inn Hotel Hanoi. Address: No. 132-138 Kim Ma, Kim Ma Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi City.
- A25 Hotel. Address: No. 18 Nguyen Hy Quang, O Cho Dua Ward, Dong Da District, Hanoi City.
10. Some Necessary Notes When Visiting Kim Lien Communal House
To make your visit to Kim Lien communal house complete. You should refer to some necessary notes below:
- Do not let the incense go out during the lighting process. If the incense bowl still has burning incense, there is no need to add more.
- Avoid inserting incense into the hands of statues, tree roots or offerings. Only insert incense into the incense bowl.
- When entering the main house of the temple, you should use the two side doors to enter. Avoid entering from the middle door and do not step on the door sill.
- Avoid making noise or saying disrespectful words to Buddha and Saints. And do not use your hands to point at statues arbitrarily.
- When walking, avoid cutting across the faces of people who are kneeling. In order to respect the spiritual space and not disturb others.
- Do not bring offerings from the temple back to place on your home altar.
- Dress modestly, avoid wearing clothes that are too short or revealing.
Kim Lien Communal House, a cherished cultural and historical heritage of Vietnam, captivates visitors with its traditional architecture and deep historical significance. It offers a unique glimpse into heroic stories and the enduring beauty of Vietnamese culture.
Contact Origin Vietnam, your trusted tour operator, to plan an exciting Hanoi tour and explore this ancient communal house. Let us help you create unforgettable memories as you discover the rich history and culture of Vietnam. Book your adventure today!.
