Primitive Xa Phin - Moss house village of Dao people in the middle of Tay Con Linh forest

Nestled under the Tay Con Linh range, more than 1,000 meters above sea level, Xa Phin - the moss village of the Dao people, is surrounded by old forests, white clouds, and has a cool climate all year round.

Xa Phin "moss village" in Thanh Thuy border commune ( Tuyen Quang ) is the main residence of Dao ethnic people for many generations, currently has 54 households with 270 people.

The thatched houses covered with green moss, blending with white clouds, terraced fields and ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees, create an ancient, unique beauty of the border region.

With its special altitude and climate, the village is covered in thick fog, combined with high humidity, creating an ideal environment for the ancient rammed earth houses to retain their wild beauty and characteristic moss.

The stilt houses of the Dao people here have existed for many generations, carrying with them traditional features that have not been lost over time.

Dao women next to a moss-roofed house in the Thanh Thuy border area (Tuyen Quang). (Photo: Duc Tho/VNA)

Unlike the Ha Nhi people's earthen houses built on flat land in Y Ty, the houses in Xa Phin are designed in the style of stilt houses, with palm-leaf roofs that are not only beautiful but also effective in keeping the heat in, keeping the winter warm and the summer cool.

Coming to Xa Phin, people feel like they are lost in a real fairyland. The wooden stilt houses, roofs covered with green moss, layer upon layer, appear and disappear on the mountainside, vaguely in the endless green of the fields, mountains and forests.

At an altitude of more than a thousand meters, the climate is cool all year round, with high humidity and lots of rain - ideal conditions for moss to grow. Each palm-leaf roof has to wait more than 10 years for moss to start covering it, and old roofs that are decades old are now covered in green. Nowhere else is there a whole "moss village" like Xa Phin - a natural "specialty" that cannot be replicated or recreated elsewhere.

The green moss blends with the green of the mountains, forests, cornfields, and rice fields; when the rice ripens, it blends with the yellow color to create a majestic and poetic landscape painting. Each house is a living work of time and nature.

The Dao people in Xa Phin love their mossy palm-leaf houses. They are not only a place to live, but also a symbol of the bond between people and nature and tradition. A thatched roof requires 8,000-10,000 palm leaves, meticulously stacked to keep it watertight and leak-proof. Moss grows thickly over the years, forming a “natural air-conditioning layer”, helping the house stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Dao women by the fire in a moss-roofed house in the Thanh Thuy border area (Tuyen Quang). (Photo: Duc Tho/VNA)

Xa Phin possesses excellent natural conditions for growing typical plants, the most prominent of which is Shan Tuyet tea. This precious tea has become a cultural symbol of this land.

The Shan Tuyet tea trees in Xa Phin are all ancient tea trees, growing naturally for hundreds of years. The tea trunks are large, covered with green moss and have a wide canopy, exuding a resilient beauty against the harsh weather of the highlands. In particular, Shan Tuyet tea is nourished by the mist of the mountains and forests, which gives the tea its very own unique, cool and fragrant flavor.

Every late September and early October, the terraced fields in Xa Phin village turn golden with ripe rice, interspersed with moss-covered stilt houses, creating a peaceful, poetic and majestic scene, becoming an attractive destination for tourists.

In order to promote the image of nature, people and cultural identity of ethnic groups in Thanh Thuy commune, the festival "Golden Season - Moss House Village" Xa Phin in 2025 will take place at the Xa Phin Community Cultural Tourism Village, Tuyen Quang province on October 4.

Houses with green moss-covered roofs in the mountains and forests of Thanh Thuy border area (Tuyen Quang). (Photo: Duc Tho/VNA)

This year's "Golden Season - Moss House Village" Xa Phin Festival will take place with many exciting activities such as rice harvesting competitions, rice cake pounding competitions, traditional sports competitions and folk games.

In addition, visitors can also experience the tea culture space, explore the ancient Shan Tuyet tea forest, cardamom forest, traditional moss-roofed stilt houses, and terraced fields.

Organizing the festival also contributes to promoting tourism development, creating momentum for socio-economic development, improving the material and spiritual life of local people./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nguyen-so-xa-phin-lang-nha-reu-cua-dong-bao-dao-giua-dai-ngan-tay-con-linh-post1062556.vnp