Muong ethnics preserve stilt houses for tourism development

Thanks to economic development, many Muong families in Ngoc Lac mountainous district in Thanh Hoa province have built houses in recent years featuring new and modern architecture. However, many families decided to keep their traditional bamboo stilt houses, especially after the district introduced a policy preserving the stilt houses in association with the development of community tourism.

The 100-year-old stilt house of Mrs. Pham Thi Sau’s family in Lap Thang village in Thach Lap commune, Ngoc Lac district, has three compartments and two wings, as well as two staircases.

In the middle of the house is a place for worshipping the ancestors and welcoming male guests, while inside is a kitchen and a place for women to live.

This is one of the 10 most beautiful wooden stilt houses in Lap Thang commune, and was selected by Ngoc Lac district to join its project on preserving traditional stilt houses of the Muong people in association with tourism development.

According to the People’s Committee of Ngoc Lac district, there are currently around 1,460 stilt houses in the area, including more than 700 in Thach Lap commune, many of which are over 100 years old.

The Muong make up more than 70 percent of the population in Ngoc Lac district. The building of a community tourism area in Lap Thang village in association with the preservation of traditional Muong stilt houses is opening up opportunities to preserve traditional cultural values and utilise the locality’s tourism potential./.

VNA