Houses of the Yao Ao Dai in Ha Giang Province (Structures and Related Building Materials)

Abstract

This article shows that the Yao Ao Dai people living in Ha Giang province maintain two kinds of houses: house on stilts and house on the ground. Of which, the Yao people in the districts of Vi Xuyen and Hoang Su Phi live in the stilt houses as the same way their neighbors, the Tay people do. However, others who live in the rocky mountainous districts reside in the houses on the ground. The local people use available materials for building their houses based on their traditional knowledge, but their houses differ in structure and some specific building materials. Overtime houses have changed in the way they are made. Change in home construction reflects change in the natural environment and change in culture among ethnic groups.