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| The newly built houses of the people in Ngoc Long commune retain the traditional architecture of the Mong ethnic group. |
Over the past period, the program to eliminate temporary housing has been actively implemented by all levels, sectors, and the people, creating a widespread impact and mobilizing the participation of the entire political system. To date, the province has started construction on 15,064 houses; of which, 13,097 have been completed and put into use, reaching 86.94%. Construction has started on 1,967 houses, aiming for completion before August 31st, including 1,709 new houses and 258 houses undergoing repairs.
In reality, in many places, the element of cultural identity in architecture has not been carefully considered when eliminating temporary housing. In mountainous areas, it is not uncommon to find sturdy houses, but they no longer possess the "soul" of ethnic minority housing architecture; the elderly find them strange, and children growing up no longer know what thatched roofs, wooden floors, and rammed earth walls are like. Eliminating temporary housing is necessary, but if cultural identity is not preserved, it will not be complete. Therefore, without clear direction, it will affect the landscape and cause the indigenous cultural values associated with housing architecture to fade over time.
Aware of the aforementioned situation, many localities have taken timely action. In Yen Minh commune, formed by the merger of five localities, the number of temporary houses to be demolished is very large. Currently, the commune has completed and put into use 412 houses, and is in the process of demolishing 73 houses; the total allocated budget is over 22.5 billion VND. Mr. Vu Van Quan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Minh commune, said: "During the implementation process, the commune focused on guiding people to build houses according to the traditional style of their ethnic groups. At the same time, we assigned specialized design staff to provide specific guidance for each ethnic group such as Mong, Tay, Dao... The people have also been very supportive, and the percentage of temporary houses demolished according to traditional architecture has reached nearly 40%."
The family of Mr. Giàng Chứ Mua, from Hồng Ngài A village, Thắng Mố commune, recently inaugurated their new house in June. He shared: “As a Hmong ethnic minority, I wanted to build according to traditional architecture, replacing less durable materials like mud walls and wooden pillars, and preserving the traditional three-bay, two-wing house with a sloping roof and yin-yang tiles. This way, it's both beautiful and safe, and it preserves traditional living habits, from the placement of the kitchen to the courtyard where the elderly can sit spinning flax and drying corn.”
Recognizing that "preserving the traditional house is preserving the traditional people," many households in Yen Son commune have opted to rebuild their temporary houses according to traditional architecture. While the pillars and floors are made of concrete, the roofs, verandas, and walls are designed in a traditional style, combined with natural materials such as wooden planks, terracotta bricks, and stone slabs. The area has a large population of Tay, Dao, and Cao Lan ethnic minorities, so choosing an improved stilt house style using cement helps to harmonize material conditions and modern living needs while clearly demonstrating a commitment to preserving cultural identity.
Mr. Dang Van Phuc, from Tan Son village, Yen Son commune, said: “The White-Clothed Dao ethnic people consider stilt houses an indispensable part of their lives, so when I received 60 million VND in support to replace temporary houses, I borrowed more money to build a cement stilt house. My family, across three generations, unanimously agreed not to follow modern architecture. Even though the stilt house is made of concrete and steel, the way the rooms are divided, the raised floor, the sloping roof, and the wide veranda are all preserved, just like our grandparents' houses used to be.”
The program to eliminate temporary housing is bringing about noticeable changes to many villages. However, focusing on local cultural elements in design and construction is a requirement that must be set from the outset. Local authorities need to preserve traditional architectural identity from the survey and design stages and guide the people. Through this, each house will not only be a place to live but also a space to preserve the cultural soul of the ethnic community.
Text and photos: Pham Hoan
Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/chung-tay-xoa-nha-tam--nha-dot-nat/202508/giu-ban-sac-trong-moi-nep-nha-9377916/
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