Unique decades-old stilt house roof covered with moss
Báo Tuổi Trẻ•05/03/2024
Located at an altitude of more than 1,000m above sea level, Xa Phin village (Ha Giang) has a unique feature with ancient moss-roofed stilt houses.
Unique moss-roofed house of Xa Phin village, Phuong Tien commune, Vi Xuyen district, Ha Giang
"The house with thick moss roof is about to be replaced," said Mrs. Ban Thi Chay (66 years old), a native of Xa Phin village, humorously.
Unique moss roofs in Xa Phin
Xa Phin is a Dao village located at an altitude of over 1,000m in the middle of the Tay Con Linh mountain range. It is about 20km from the center of Ha Giang city, taking about 30-40 minutes to travel. Although quite close to the city, this route is not easy for inexperienced drivers. Due to the influence of the northeast monsoon at the end of February, for a week now, the road to the village has been covered in thick fog. At 2pm, visibility was sometimes only about 4-5m. When the wind blew, the surrounding scenery became a little clearer.
High humidity causes the old palm-thatched roofs of Xa Phin people to grow green moss.
Through the winding bends, the mist sometimes clears, sometimes fades, the stilt house gradually appears among the terraced fields of Xa Phin village. It is also roofed with palm leaves like the stilt houses on the mountain, but here these roofs are special: they are covered with moss.
The older the house is, the thicker the moss grows, but the thatched roof must be about 7-8 years old to grow green moss.
For the people here, the presence of this plant is very familiar. Moss is on the roof all year round. In the summer, the moss is slightly dry and yellow due to the sunlight. In the winter, when the humidity is high, the moss grows green and lush. "It takes 7-8 years for a roof to have moss. The thicker the moss layer, the older the house is. Many houses in my village were built 30 years ago," said Dang Van Hiep, a resident of Xa Phin village.
Palm leaves - the main material for roofs that last up to 40 years - are also the children's toys in the village.
To build the stilt house, Hiep's family had to prepare 5-6 years in advance, thanks to the cooperation of his brothers and the whole village. The Dao people's palm-leaf roofs are usually thick, covered with many layers of palm leaves. Each roof is made from 8,000 - 10,000 leaves. Built 15 years ago, Hiep's roof is now covered with green moss.
Beautiful moss-roofed stilt houses in Xa Phin
Mr. Truong Van Tuan's house at the beginning of the village has only been thatched for about 10 years, so some places are not covered with moss yet. "Moss grows naturally here due to the high humidity in the air, especially in winter when the village is almost always covered in fog and water vapor. It does not affect the lives of our people. In the summer, moss also helps the house to be cooler, and in the winter, it is warmer, preventing frost," Mr. Tuan confided.
The moss here grows in thick, green layers in winter, when humidity is high. The moss dries out and turns yellower in the sunny summer.
"Decades or hundreds of years later, we still keep the moss roof"
In many other highland villages at the foot of Tay Con Linh mountain range, people have begun to gradually replace palm leaf roofs with corrugated iron or tile roofs because they are more durable. But for the people in Xa Phin, moss roofs are their own beauty. Whether young or old, everyone wants to keep this roof. Looking at the familiar moss roof of his own family, Mr. Hiep clearly understands that it is a unique beauty to attract visitors. "What our grandparents did in the past, we do the same, no different. In my village, the main roofs are still palm leaf roofs. Whether it is a few decades or hundreds of years later, we will still keep this moss roof," Mr. Hiep affirmed.
The sky cleared up, and Xa Phin village appeared more clearly. The mossy roofs seemed to shimmer under the afternoon sun.
Carrying a bag on her shoulder and a machete in her hand to go up the mountain to clear trees in preparation for the new tea season, Mrs. Ban Thi Chay (66 years old) still lingers to chat with tourists. "A house with a thick moss roof is about to be replaced. A roof with a lot of moss is a house that has been there for many years. This palm leaf roof will last for about 40 years. When the palm leaves rot, we have to put up a new roof," Mrs. Chay humorously said.
Many roofs are not only covered with moss but also home to ferns. Although tiled and corrugated iron roofs are becoming more and more popular, in Xa Phin, the moss-roofed stilt houses are still preserved by the locals.
Mrs. Chay said she has lived in Xa Phin since she was born. Her house is the house with a peach tree and a wild peach tree blooming in front of the door every spring. Tourists come and take pictures in front of her house. "Tourists who come here really like this mossy roof. Every day I see visitors coming makes me happy," Mrs. Chay said with a smile. At 4 p.m., the sun suddenly rose after more than a week of absence. The late afternoon sunlight seemed to sprinkle gold on the mossy roofed stilt houses, making them sparkle green. The whole Xa Phin village was peaceful with the laughter of children and the chirping of birds calling each other.
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