Khuoi Ky stone village of Tay people in Cao Bang: Peaceful beauty on the border

(TITC) – On the journey to discover the beauty of Cao Bang Geopark, visitors cannot miss a destination with unique beauty and special cultural values, which is Khuoi Ky stone village.

Khuoi Ky stream is located right on the way to the village (Photo: TITC)

Located more than 80km from the center of Cao Bang city in Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district, Cao Bang province, Khuoi Ky stone village – an ancient village of the Tay people attracts tourists with its stone stilt houses. The village is named after the stream right at the entrance to the village.

The village covers about 1 hectare, with 14 houses. Inside the village are ancient stilt houses hundreds of years old, built entirely of stone, roofed with traditional yin-yang tiles. The custom of building stone houses comes from the Tay people’s belief in animism. In their minds, the stone god has natural power that can protect them and bring them a peaceful life.

The houses in the village are made entirely of stone (Photo: TITC)

What is unique is that when building a house, stones are used in many sizes, stacked on top of each other and bonded with a mixture of limestone mixed with sand. The walls of the house are more than 30cm thick, extremely strong and sturdy like a fortress. The height of each stilt house is from 7m to 8m.

Many houses have been served by villagers for tourists (Photo: TITC)

Until now, the ancient stilt houses still retain their pristine beauty, with an ancient appearance, creating an ancient, legendary feature for this border village. In the ancient stone village of Khuoi Ky, there are now a number of households operating homestay businesses. Some houses are fully equipped with electricity, water and internet systems to serve tourists. With its unique values, Khuoi Ky ancient stone village was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a “Typical traditional cultural village of ethnic minorities” in 2008.

Stone houses are hundreds of years old (Photo: TITC)

Come to Khuoi Ky village to feel the peace (Photo: TITC)

Layered stone fence (Photo: TITC)

Tourism Information Technology Center