The Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in Cao Bang Province, northern Vietnam on Wednesday opened a long-standing nine-room stilt house in Thach Anh District to tourists.

Deputy director of the department To Thi Trang said the house was built between 1899 and 1903 and originally featured just three rooms.  

It was 8.5 meters wide and 23 meters long and had a yin-yang tiled roof and wooden walls, she said, adding that the space under the house was used for storing agricultural equipment, a room for an altar, and the last two ones for privacy. It also featured an attic.

The house was expanded to 400 square meters with nine rooms in 1934. It included over 100 wooden pillars with 40 pillars being nine meters high each.  

There is no partition between the rooms, allowing for a large, mostly open space.

The house embodies the spirit of the Tay ethnic minority group.

Opening the house to tourists is aimed at diversifying tourism products in Cao Bang Province, encourage locals to engage in tourism activities, and inspire travelers to explore local life.

It also aims to improve awareness for the preservation of heritage and the promotion of sustainable tourism.

Speaking at the opening ceremony for the house, vice-chairman of the Cao Bang Province administration Trinh Truong Huy requested that relevant units allocate capital and facilitate the house serving tourists.

He also urged travel companies to design tours that include the house and to prioritize it as a significant landmark in Cao Bang.

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