Moss growing on palm leaf roofs, giving the houses a distinctive appearance. (Photo: VNA) Xa Phin enjoys a chilly climate all year due to its elevation, sitting almost1,000 metres above sea level.
This hilly terrain is characterised by fog all year and persistent rainfallwith high humidity.
It is an ideal environment for plants to flourish and thrive, including thickgreen moss, which ethnic people use to cover the palm-leaf roofs of theirhomes.
Residents say a roof must be at least five years old before moss starts to growon it.
The palm leaf roof has soaked up enough moisture to become pliable, and mouldhas begun to spread. The thickness of the moss on the roof can be used todetermine the age of the home.
Most of the local population still maintain their traditional palmleaf-thatched-roof homes and way of life today. The mossy layers on the roofact as insulation, preventing the interior from being too hot in summer or toocold in winter.
The bold and rustic beauty of the mossy green roofs, along with the indigenousculture of the ethnic minority, makes Xa Phin hamlet an appealing location forthose who love exploring.
VNA
