Khanh Nhon family national relic site is seriously degraded.

Heartbroken at the hundred-year-old relic

According to ancient books, the area of Khanh Nhon village used to be a wild forest with many ancient trees growing on white sand. It was not until the late 17th and early 18th centuries that people came here to establish a village. When the construction of the village was completed, the villagers built a communal house made of simple bamboo and thatch to worship the Thanh Hoang god. By the second half of the 19th century, Khanh Nhon communal house was solidly built, complete with its appearance today. During the two resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism, Khanh Nhon communal house became a base for revolutionary activities; a place that hid many cadres and soldiers.

The current state of degradation of the Khanh Nhon family national relic.

The current state of degradation of Khanh Nhon national relic.

Khanh Nhon Communal House was built as an architectural complex, including: the screen; the main hall; the front hall; the kitchen; the mortar house (warehouse); the temple of the five ladies; the western house; the ancestor's house. Besides the architectural aspect, Khanh Nhon Communal House also has quite unique decorative elements. The ancient artisans devoted their heart and talent to making the communal house aesthetically pleasing. Using openwork, embossing, and relief techniques, the ancient artisans used traditional decorative motifs such as: the four sacred animals, the four seasons, the eight immortals, the eight treasures, two dragons facing the moon, two dragons facing the sun, bats, fish, stylized flower vines, lotus flowers... arranged reasonably on the rafters, ridge lines, gables, roof ridges, and altar tables, creating a rich and diverse range of decorative themes.

Recently, during a visit to Khanh Nhon communal house, we could not help but feel sad at the current state of deterioration of this national relic. The construction items such as: the screen; the main hall; the ancestral house; the shrine of the five ladies; the warehouse; the kitchen, the walls are all peeling off, the exterior patterns are no longer intact in both color and shape. Looking at the current scene of the communal house, the people here, as well as anyone interested in the beauty of the relic, cannot help but wonder and worry.

According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Nhut - Head of the Khanh Nhon Communal House National Relic Management Board, the communal house is a place for people in the village and neighboring localities to practice cultural and religious activities. Every year, the communal house organizes spring and autumn worship ceremonies. Every 3 years, the communal house organizes a big worship ceremony to pray for good things for the villagers. Every month, the communal house organizes meetings to discuss village and communal house affairs. The current state of deterioration of the communal house's items has been going on for many years, but because the budget for restoration and embellishment of more than 500 million VND is too large compared to the ability to contribute, the people really hope to receive attention from the authorities and provincial leaders.

Waiting for funding

On September 24, the Khanh Nhon Communal House National Relic Management Board sent a document to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism requesting funding to restore degraded relic items. On October 10, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism responded to this content in a document stating: Currently, the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the period 2025 - 2035 (phase 1: 2025 - 2030) has just been approved by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In the coming time, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue to monitor, synthesize and advise the Provincial People's Committee to consider including the Khanh Nhon Communal House relic in the restoration investment plan when there is a suitable source of funding.

A wall in the Khanh Nhon family national relic is peeling and moldy.

According to information from the Center for Cultural Heritage Conservation of Khanh Hoa province, on October 28, 2024, the Party Committee of the People's Committee of Ninh Thuan province (old) reported on the assessment of the current status of relics and proposed a list of relics that need priority investment in restoration and embellishment. In particular, there is a proposal to restore Khanh Nhon communal house relic with an estimated cost of 500 million VND. However, due to the merger of Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces, in order to have a basis to supplement the list of priority relics for restoration in Khanh Hoa province in the period of 2025 - 2030 to submit to the authorities for approval, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism needs to organize a field survey of the relics in the list reported by the Party Committee of the People's Committee of Ninh Thuan province before. From there, build a general list of relics that need priority investment in restoration and embellishment in the whole province.

From the above sources of information, it can be understood that the current state of degradation of Khanh Nhon communal house has been recognized by the authorities. However, in order for this national relic to be restored and embellished, it needs to go through a process, as well as specific regulations, and it will take a period of time for the authorities to carry out the necessary work. During that time, the current state of degradation of Khanh Nhon communal house continues to worsen, especially in the climate and rainy weather conditions in the last months of the year. Another factor is that 2026 is also the year when the cycle of organizing major ceremonies according to the custom of once every 3 years comes, so the people really want the communal house to be restored soon in time for the spring ceremony (10-3 lunar calendar). With the current situation, those who are interested hope that Khanh Nhon communal house will still stand firm and not collapse as it has happened in the past.

FAMILY

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/202510/di-tich-quoc-gia-dinh-khanh-nhonxuong-cap-nghiem-trong-6de0dd3/