The House on Stilts of the Lo Lo Ethnic Group in Cao Bang

The Lo Lo ethnic group in Cao Bang is an ethnic minority having their own distinctive language and culture. In particular, the Lo Lo's house on stilts show unique characteristics, even though looking from the outside its architecture is not too different from that of the Tay and Nung people.

The Lo Lo ethnic group in Cao Bang live mainly on the high mountains, for example Khuoi Khon village. When they build houses, the land is levelled, the back of the house is leaned against the hill, and the door and courtyard face a large space. Normally the Lo Lo residence is quite large, in front of which is a space for drying clothes or relaxing and doing household chores. Lo Lo's houses have four roofs including two main and two auxiliary roofs covered with yin and yang tiles. Around the house on stilts, they put a lot of firewood for cooking.

The dwelling on stilts of the Lo Lo ethnic group

The main material for building the Lo Lo's house is wood. Their house on stilts composes 3 compartments, which is built with wooden trusses that are connected by horizontal and vertical beams. The central space of the house is the most important part. The floor is covered with rattan rugs or bamboo mats , making it very beautiful. The stairs to the house are made of wood, with 7-9 steps. Under the floor are agricultural machinery and tools. To start the establishment of the house, the owner has to choose the auspicious day with the wish that the new residence will bring luck, wealth and health to the whole family.

The Khuoi Khon village of the Lo Lo

The central part of the house is dedicated to the ancestor altar. In front of the altar is the main kitchen of the family, there is a second kitchen to prepare food for guests. In addition, there are also small spaces outside the house that are used to store grain, rice or furniture. The valuable items such as tables, chairs, TV, refrigerator are put in the right corner of the main compartment. The décor of the Lo Lo traditional house has been the pass down through generations. The architecture helps the atmosphere cool in summer and warm in winter because the fire never goes out. When guests come to visit the family, men and women will stay separately on two different sides.

Although today's life has been improved much more, the Lo Lo people's houses on stilts architecture still remains as before. Lo Lo families build their houses next to each other creating community and the village's sense of solidarity.

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