Tân Lân Communal House

Tân Lân Communal House is located on Nguyễn Văn Trị Street, with its façade facing southwest, overlooking the Đồng Nai River. In the past, the đình (communal house) belonged to Tân Lân village (Xóm Mới), Phước Chánh district, Trấn Biên administrative division; today, it is part of Trấn Biên ward, Đồng Nai city, Vietnam.

On 23 October 1720, Trấn Biên Military Governor Trần Thượng Xuyên passed away. To commemorate his contributions to the reclamation of land and the development of commerce in the Đồng Nai - Gia Định region, the local people built a small miếu (shrine) to worship him within the area of the old Biên Hòa citadel.

On 14 December 1861, according to the plan to capture Biên Hòa approved by General Bonard, the French and Spanish allied forces, numbering about one thousand troops and two warships, launched an attack by both land and water. On the morning of the 17th, the French captured the Biên Hòa provincial capital, and from then on, the miếu had to be relocated twice (in 1861 and 1906) before reaching its current site. In 1935, the miếu was newly and solidly constructed and named Tân Lân Ancient Citadel Shrine (abbreviated as Tân Lân Communal House).

Tân Lân Communal House is situated on a plot of land about 3,000m² in area, on a platform 60 cm high made of green stone, paved with patterned tiles (20cm x 20cm), with an architectural style strongly influenced by Chinese culture.

The façade of the communal house is built in the shape of the Chinese character tam (三), roofed with yin-yang tiles. On the main hall's rooftop are motifs of two dragons vying for a pearl, and carp transforming into dragons. At the ends of the roof ridges are statues of the Sun Deity, Moon Deity, celestial boys, and jade maidens, among others.

The communal house consists of three sections: the tiền đình (front hall), chánh điện (main sanctuary), and hậu cung (rear sanctuary) connected in sequence. On the left and right sides are miếu shrines dedicated to the Lady and the Gentleman.

The Tiền đình (front hall) covers an area of 75.5m². The rooftop is decorated with hundreds of figures of people and animals made of green-glazed ceramic, vividly depicting classical Eastern themes such as: the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, Guan Yu escorting the two sisters-in-law, maidens playing ball, martial arts performances, scenes of court audiences and processions, farewells, theatrical and musical performances, returning in glory to pay homage to ancestors, judging sinners in the underworld, and imperial court gatherings in heaven, among others. Inside the front hall, the crossbeams are carved with motifs of bats, peaches, flowers, and leaves symbolising blessings, longevity, and endurance.

The Chánh điện (main sanctuary) occupies an area of 487.5m². The statue of Trần Thượng Xuyên, dignified and solemn, sits on a lacquered and gilded throne, placed in the centre of the main sanctuary. Here, there are large ironwood columns, pairs of bronze pheasants, phoenixes, and other birds standing in attendance, along with sets of bronze Eight Treasures (Bát bửu) arranged symmetrically on either side in front of the deity's altar, enhancing the solemnity. In addition, the communal house has a rich pantheon: worshipping Lady Thiên Hậu, Guan Yu, Left and Right Attendants (Tả Ban, Hữu Ban), Forebears (Tiền Hiền, Hậu Hiền), White Horse Eunuch (Bạch Mã Thái Giám), and others.

The Hậu cung (rear sanctuary), 120m² in area, has four rows of eight columns, with a wooden frame and beams left undecorated. The two roofs are covered with yin-yang tiles, and on the ridge are attached statues of dragons facing a cloisonné ornament, with pairs of ceramic green-glazed carp and qilin on either side. The floor is paved with patterned tiles. In the centre is the altar to the First Ancestor (Tiên sư), with altars to the Vietnamese and Chinese secondary ancestors (Tiên thứ Việt Nam and Tiên thứ Trung Quốc) on either side. Additionally, immediately behind the rear sanctuary is a spacious kitchen area.

Tân Lân Communal House, with its decorative features, represents a harmonious and skilful combination of Nguyễn dynasty architectural art and the distinctive architectural style of the southern Chinese region.

Currently, Tân Lân Communal House still preserves the imperial decree (sắc thần) granted by Emperor Tự Đức in the fifth year of his reign (1852) to Trần Thượng Xuyên, Han-Nom documents, and wooden artefacts including 8 parallel sentence plaques (liễn đối), 12 horizontal inscribed boards (hoành phi), and 2 sets of bronze Eight Treasures (Bát bửu), among others.

Tân Lân Communal House has been classified as a national historical and architectural-artistic monument by the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism under Decision No. 457/QĐ, dated 25 March 1991.

Every year, the local people observe the anniversary of Trần Thượng Xuyên's death (23rd day of the 10th lunar month) as the main memorial day, and from the 12th to the 14th day of the 12th lunar month, they hold the Kỳ yên festival. The Tân Lân Communal House site is one of the destinations on the Biên Hòa City tourism tour.