CAO BANG – Da is like a god shielding and protecting the Tay villagers in Khuoi Ky, Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district.

Located nearly 100 km from the center of Cao Bang city, Khuoi Ky village has 14 Tay ethnic households living in stone houses on stilts that have existed for hundreds of years. This is a typical traditional cultural village of ethnic minorities recognized in 2008, spanning about 1 hectare, leaning against a limestone mountain, in front of a land area about 0.2 hectares wide. In the village, there is a Khuoi Ky stream with clear and cool water, where people and tourists can cool off in the hot season.

The people in the village have two main surnames, Nong and Trieu. According to Mrs. Trieu Thi Pen, in the Tay people’s mind, stone is like a god who shields and protects the villagers. They set up shrines around the stone walls, offering annual thanksgiving sacrifices to the stone god, which is a unique spiritual culture.

These stone stilt houses date from about 1594 – 1677, when the Mac dynasty went to Cao Bang to build a citadel to protect the country. The architecture of the house is roofed with yin and yang tiles, there are three main compartments, each compartment is separated by a wooden plank frame to facilitate living, the foundation of the house is made of stone and the foot of the pillar is also made of reprocessed stone.

Crossing the tiled-roofed bridge is to Khuoi Ky village, visitors enjoy learning about a “stone culture space” with paved roads, stone embankments on both sides and the use of decorative circular stone mortars. along the path. In addition, tools and facilities for daily life are also made from stone such as mortar, mill or stone stove.

Pham Huu Tuyen, who has lived in Cao Bang since childhood, is the builder of Toc coffee with the desire to make “a miniature ethnic museum of Cao Bang” in Hop Giang Ward, Cao Bang city. Anh Tuyen is passionate about photography, traveling and learning about ethnic life. The last time he went to Khuoi Ky was in April 2021.

“Unlike other places where thorn trees are planted and trees are cut down to make fences, Khuoi Ky village builds walls and fences like a fortress. They are arranged from thousands of different large and small stones with mixed adhesive mortar. from lime and sand,” Tuyen shared.

Ha Kim Cuong is an active promoter of Cao Bang tourism, once recorded a video of Khuoi Ky stone village, posted on Cao Bang Hong’s fanpage. Mr. Cuong said in 2010 Cao Bang invested in repairing and renovating in order to preserve and restore Khuoi Ky village to exploit and develop tourism. By 2017, the village will develop a form of community tourism, welcoming thousands of tourists every year, contributing to helping people have more income and improve their lives.

Currently, Khuoi Ky people have a number of homestay households such as Khuoi Ky, Yen Nhi, Quang Thuan and May Linh homestay, with full electricity, water and internet systems. The room rate here is about 100,000 VND/night, suitable as a one-night stay to prepare for the journey to discover Ban Gioc waterfall, Nguom Ngao cave, about 3 km from Khuoi Ky. In addition to the main points of homestay, many people mobilize together to do tourism, with service assignments, from sleeping, eating, to guiding and singing and dancing activities.

In addition to enjoying the nostalgic space of the stone village, visitors can also enjoy specialties and rustic dishes. Khuoi Ky’s delicious dishes are cooked from vegetables, corn, nuggets, chestnuts, sticky rice with black filling, to hill-grazing chicken or duck, especially with fried bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots cut in small lines and filled with fried meat. While the habit of living associated with stone in neighboring villages is gradually fading, Khuoi Ky village still remains intact.

As of the morning of August 4, Cao Bang province is the only locality in the country that has not had a case of Covid-19 since the outbreak of April 27. When the whole country is temporarily stable, tourists from near and far have the opportunity to visit and experience Khuoi Ky with the hospitality of the people, promising to bring everyone a feeling of peace and relaxation. Follow vnexpress/ Photo: Pham Huu Tuyen