(VOVworld)- More than 100 photos of Vietnamese village communal houses are on display at the exhibit “Vietnamese Village Communal House – Things preserves and things lost”. Works on display highlight the unique architectural and cultural features of Vietnamese communal houses and the changing tangible and intangible cultural values involved in their construction, sounding the alarm on the possibility of their disappearance.
The exhibit honors the outstanding beauty of the architecture and carvings of Vietnamese village communal houses which are nearly 600 years old. The carvings feature dragons, fairies, and the daily activities of Vietnamese farmers. Nguyen Ky, who is passionate about traditional architecture, said Vietnamese ancestors have left behind a huge legacy of architectural heritages which are not easy to restore - communal houses, pagodas, temples, steles and towers. Ky said: “It’s difficult to restore the architecture and carvings of communal houses, pagodas and temples. Pagodas appeared long before communal houses. The architecture of the pagoda is different. Appearing in the 15th century, communal houses showed the creativity and talent of Vietnamese people. The daily life of Vietnamese people is vividly reflected in the carvings on communal houses”.
Though the exhibit only introduces a few typical communal houses – those of Tay Dang, Chu Quyen, Huong Canh and Dong Ky. They reflect Vietnam’s traditional culture. Communal houses are solemn places because village genies are worshipped there. Many communal houses are nearly 600 years old. Nguyen Duc Binh is Head of the Dinh Lang Viet (Vietnamese Village Communal Houses) group: “Communal houses were built by the community, so at this exhibit, we want to introduce the cultural spaces of communal houses where community activities take place. There, village people relax, talk and relax”.
Because of urbanization, the function of communal houses has changed. They have become heritages and places to explore traditional culture. They are living textbooks about the life, history and architecture of Vietnamese villages in the feudal regime. Ky says the vitality of communal houses will always endure in rural life: “We all know the saying that villages are the soul of a country and communal houses and pagodas are the soul of a village. While there are villages, there will be pagodas and communal houses. Though the restoration of these heritages is problematic sometimes, I strongly believe in their vitality”.
Despite ravages of war, weather and time, communal houses survive in rural Vietnam. The story of things preserved and things lost in communal houses awakens Vietnamese people’s source of responsibility their ancestors’ legacy.