Preserving Pac Moong communal house: Contributing to spreading cultural and historical values

Pac Moong communal house in Quang Lac commune, Lang Son city is one of the typical relics in the province worshiping King Dinh Tien Hoang (Dinh Bo Linh), containing historical and cultural values. Experiencing historical ups and downs, the relic has been dilapidated. In 2021, Pac Moong communal house was restored by the government and the people.

In the early days of March 2023, we came to Quang Trung 1 village, Quang Lac commune, Lang Son city – where Pac Moong communal house is located. We were impressed by spacious communal house with a well-arranged system of worship objects, the innermost room of the communal house lays a majestic statue of King Dinh Tien Hoang. Ms. Luong Thi Le Quyen, officer of Culture and Social Division of People’s Committee of Quang Lac Commune said: “Pac Moong Communal House is a sacred place of worship and a space for cultural and religious activities of the people here. In order to preserve and promote the value of this relic and serve the sightseeing of the people and tourists, some members of the management board of the relic and I regularly come here to light incense and clean up.

An officer of Culture and Social Division of Quang Lac Commune introduces about the history of Pac Moong communal house to the people

According to recorded historical documents, Pac Moong communal house was built by local people in the region between the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century to remember the merits of King Dinh Tien Hoang. Legend has it that King Dinh and two generals, Luu Dinh Hoc and Nguyen Dinh Luc, came here to patrol the border and defeat the enemy. After defeating the enemy, King Dinh and his generals withdrew to the citadel. Aftewards, the people of three villages including Ban Quanh, Pac Moong, Khuon Nha of Quang Lac commune built this communal house on a low and wide mountain in Pac Moong village (now Quang Trung 1 village) to commemorate the merits of the king and his generals.

Previously, the communal house was built of bricks, roofed with yin and yang tiles in the style of the Yi (一) with an area of ​​30 m2. Over time, it was degraded, leaving only the foundation and floor. In the last years of the twentieth century, people in the area donated money to temporarily build a small house with an area of ​​8 m2 with tiled roof for worship. In 2021, the Commune People’s Committee asked for direction from its superior and called for the socialization of contributions from the people, tourists everywhere to rebuild the main hall of the communal house with an area of 112 m2 and other worship ornaments with a total cost of nearly 2 billion VND.

Additionally, the Commune People’s Committee has established the Management Board of Pac Moong Communal House Relic consisting of 6 people led by the Vice Chairman of the Commune People’s Committee; it also asked the cultural – social division to create post about the values of communal house on the commune’s website; it requested village heads to promote the introduction on the meaning and value of this relic in order to protect and promote heritage values in the community. Along with that, the Commune People’s Committee also asked the youth union and schools in the area to clean up around the communal house once a month; directed the specialized division to coordinate with the functional agencies of the City People’s Committee to research, survey, develop an application and submit to the Provincial People’s Committee for recognition as a provincial-level relic. In January 2023, Pac Moong communal house relic was classified as a provincial relic by the Provincial People’s Committee according to Decision No. 81/QD-UBND.

In addition to the restoration and embellishment of the relic, the Commune People’s Committee also pays attention to organizing the traditional festival of Pac Moong communal house on 5^th day of the first lunar month every year. The festival takes place with many rituals, games, cultural and artistic activities imbued with ethnic identity, attracting a large number of people and tourists inside and outside the province. For example, in the Lunar New Year 2023 – the year of the Cat, Pac Moong communal house festival has attracted more than 5,000 visitors.

Ms. Nong Thi Thuy Huong, Vice Chairwoman of Quang Lac Commune People’s Committee, Head of the Management Board of Pac Moong communal house said: “In the coming time, we will continue to research and strengthen the management, conservation and promotion of the value of Pac Moong communal house. Moreover, we will further introduce this relic on social networking sites in various forms so that more people know about the relic. In the near future, we will call for socialization resources to complete the sub-items of the relic such as courtyard, flower bed, campus around the communal house…

Along with the existing relics in Lang Son city, Pac Moong communal house contains many cultural and historical values of the origin and reminds the tradition of “While drinking water, think of its source” for the young generation. Therefore, the preservation and promotion of this relic is a necessary and regular job, contributing to preserving the traditional values in the province.