Ethnic group stilt house to be displayed in Germany

A stilt house typical of the Tay ethnic minority group in northern Vietnam will be on display in Germany in July under a UNESCO-launched campaign for sustainable development.

Thestilt house was handed over to Klemens Van de Sand, Director in charge of the Asia region of Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, by Do Dinh Tien, Director of the Tam Dao National Park, in Hanoi last Friday.

The house, built in the village of Bich Chu in the northern midland province of Vinh Phuc, will be transported to Germany later this month for display alongside other traditional houses of other nations at an international wildlife camp festival, due July 7.

The event at the Bavaria National Park is part of a global campaign, entitled the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, launched by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The Tay is the largest ethnic minority group in Vietnam, with a population of about 1.2 million. They have mainly inhabited valleys and lower slopes of the northern mountain provinces of Cao Bang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh and some parts of Bac Giang.

The Tay villages are usually located at the foot of a mountain or along a stream and usually named after a mountain, field or river. Each village contains about 15-20 households.

Buildings, in the frontier region are called "defense houses" and are often protected against intruders by a stone wall along a ditch. The interior is divided into two rooms, the front one reserved for men and the rear one serving as the women's bedroom.

Houses are either built on stilts or level with the ground.

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