Photo: Thu Hoa

Musician Quoc Trung is talking to 20 people of different ages about sound and music and how music helps you enjoy life.

“Music, the last friend” is one of the topics discussed at a talk hosted by the Tam Son International Company on the second week of each month in Dong Lac. The highly interactive talk makes the temple, which is now the Hanoia Culture Space, a lively heritage. Nguyen Thanh Binh is manager of the Hanoia brand: “We hold in-depth discussions about the daily life.  For example, we talk about decoration during Tet when the traditional lunar New Year comes. How to give and receive gifts and personal lifestyle are among our topics. In November, we will discuss heritage of ancient communal houses in Hanoi.”

The Hanoia Culture Space also hosts exhibitions of Vietnamese handicraft products including lacquer wares, My A silk, poonah paper, and hand embroidery items. Visitors are thoroughly introduced to every exhibit.

Dong Lac communal house, also called “Hanoi’s Heritage House”, worships Cao Son, Linh Lang, and Bach Ma genies. The house underwent its latest restoration in 2000. The establishment of the Hanoia Culture Space makes Dong Lac more attractive to tourists. Nguyen Kim Nhung is Marketing Manager of Hanoia: “The Hoan Kiem District People’s Committee and the Hanoi Old Quarter Management Board have cooperated with Hanoia to make the communal house more beautiful and majestic. The worshipping area is maintained on the second floor while the first floor is reserved for displaying lacquer wares, bamboo and stone fine arts products.”

Despite hosting contemporary cultural events, the communal house retains its traditional style with ancient architecture, dragon-head pillars, parallel sentences, and a small backyard.