(Gotravelings.com) Standing high above looking down, the rustic and ancient beauty of old houses with green moss roofs in Y Ty, Lao Cai make many people think of the beautiful giant mushrooms growing on the side of the mountain.
Y Ty is one of the poorest areas of highland Bat Xat district, Lao Cai. Here, the haze cover year round and the weather is extremely harsh. However, more and more tourists come to Y Ty. Besides the cloudy valleys and terraced fields at the height of 1500 m, people also come here the see the villages with houses located closely together, against a backdrop of mountains as in the fairy tales.
Houses in Y Ty is only arounf 40 - 60 meter squares. Photo: Duc Ky
Only about 70 km far from Lao Cai, the road up to Y Ty is very mazy. Go along the spiral and twisted back to the top of Nhu Co San peak, you will feel like "straight to heaven", then sinking in fog and white clouds. Then suddenly, Y Ty is out front with the poetic scenery of Ha Nhi women carry baskets of firewood to the market between vast mountains.
As one of the most ethnic minorities in Vietnam who live in Y Ty besides the other ethnic minority such á Hmong, Dao, Giay; Ha Nhi people, especially black Ha Nhi, make and unique charms for thís harsh land, with their mushroom house and unique wall. Unlike the common stilt houses of the highland ethnic minority, houses of Ha Nhi people located on the ground, walls and roofs made from clay that looks like a pyramid shape.
As one of the most ethnic minorities in Vietnam who live in Y Ty besides the other ethnic minority such á Hmong, Dao, Giay; Ha Nhi people, especially black Ha Nhi, make and unique charms for thís harsh land, with their mushroom house and unique wall. Unlike the common stilt houses of the highland ethnic minority, houses of Ha Nhi people located on the ground, walls and roofs made from clay that looks like a pyramid shape.
The house foundation is not deep under the ground but being placed just on the rock base.
Photo: Duc Ky
The most impressive in the architecture of the Ha Nhi houses is house's walls with the thickness of 40-45 cm, and height of 4-5 m , with two laps inside and outside. This structure is not only because of low economic conditions of a highland village, but it also shows the adaptation to harsh weather here. The houses built with very thick walls will help people here keep warm in winter Hanhi and cool in the summer .
Looking at the simple architecture of the houses, no one think to build the 40 m2 houses, Ha Nhi people have to spend months. The time for reconstructing houses usually follows each season. The first stage after selecting the suitable soil samples are building the foundation by mountain rocks. The foundation are placed on the ground without having to dig deep into the ground as the houses in the delta.
Next step is to build the wall. The land chosen has been put into formworks splinted strongly; then they use wooden pestle to pound together this layer to the other layers to create a solid and strong wall. Then assembling the wooden beams and rafters to make roof. This type of house does not have balcony, but the roofs are short and are covered by "gianh" grass.
The mushroom house keep warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. Photo: Duc Ky.
There is one main door and another door in the left of the house, or in the right of the house to go to the stall, and stables at the back. Look far away, the windows look very small like the arch holes. Compare to the H'mong minority people houses, the walls inside and outside of Ha Nhi house are retired, and finely polished to look smoothly. The shape of the house is often square instead of rectangle.
Although the original shaped houses of Ha Nhi people are not many, but its attraction to visitor is always remain, especially for photographer love shooting photos at the sunrise or sunset. Therefore, many people who have chance to admire the green moss house in the white fog have to utter that "heaven is here !".
Although the original shaped houses of Ha Nhi people are not many, but its attraction to visitor is always remain, especially for photographer love shooting photos at the sunrise or sunset. Therefore, many people who have chance to admire the green moss house in the white fog have to utter that "heaven is here !".
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