LookAtVietnam Bridge - The Ha Nhi people’s houses are called trinh tuong and they are built to last in the harshest of mountainous habitats.

There are an estimated 12,500 Ha Nhi people in Vietnam living in some of the most precarious places in Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces. They are mountain people whose houses are instantly recognisable thanks to the low-roofs, which look like huge mushrooms looming out of the mountain mist.

This special type of house is called a trinh tuong and its distinctive design is the result of the Ha Nhi people’s extreme surroundings. If you choose to live on the side of mountain you have to be sure you got your measurements right. Nothing is left to chance.

Before building the house, the Ha Nhi people will choose an auspicious as well as a practical date and time to start work on the house. First a worshiping ceremony will be held. Steamed glutinous rice, boiled chicken and fruit will be offered in return for luck to be bestowed on the house and its owner. A typical house will cover 40 to 50sqm and will feature one main door as well as a side door. Construction will commence sometime in dry season since the wall is made with soil.

The walls will be durable and strong enough to withstand the elements. People say that a bullet could not pass through these walls. Choosing the soil is an important task. The best soil, according to the elders of Y Ty commune in Bat Xat district of Lao Cai province, must be taken from high up on the mountains as this soil has a good adhesiveness. Building the wall requires a lot of time and hard labour.

The soil is poured into a wooden frame and pressed down by a wooden pestle. For the house’s foundation large stones from mountain streams are collected and transported to the village. After the soil is prepared the wooden frame is removed. Then several more layers of soil are added.

On average a house needs five to six layers though some houses might have seven or eight layers. This process takes time. One house might take several months to be built as each freshly laid layer needs to integrate with the rest of the wall. After the wall is finished, people will cover the inside of the house with wood. Then the roof will be built.

Previously the roof would have been made with grass or straw. However Ha Nhi communities now enjoy government assistance and houses are roofed with cement and the odd house these days uses corrugated iron. A typical Ha Nhi trinh tuong is square in shape , as opposed to a H’Mong house which would be rectangular in shape, and is built to keep warm in winter and stay cool in summer. Each house is said to last for around 60 years.

The kitchen is the focal point of domestic life and you will always find a fire on the go. There is always a sacred stone beside the fire. This stone is believed to be a genie who cares for the happiness of the family. According to village elders, the stone also represents the matriarchal figures of the family and therefore only the women of the house can take care of it. On auspicious occasions such as New Year the stone will be fed with wine, tea and even cake.

The Ha Nhi people will also hang a pig’s jawbone in the kitchen when it is built and after that on the occasion of New Year another jaw bone will be added. This way you can calculate the age of the house by the number of the jawbones hanging from the ceiling. The jawbone is considered an iconic symbol that can bring good fortune to the house’s owners.

(Source: Timeout)