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The owner of the old house was Sung Nhia Lung, a very wealthy man in the area. However, later on, due to his descendants' alcoholism and gambling, he sold the house to the Than family, also a Hmong person (from Dong Van town, Ha Giang province), and since then the house has become a homestay and a tourist attraction for visitors to Dong Van.
Nha Co Homestay is a traditional house with three walls: the front is made of wooden planks, while the sides and back are made of earthen walls. It retains warmth in winter and coolness in summer because the walls are 50 centimeters thick, providing excellent insulation and preventing sunlight from penetrating.
The house is roofed with yin-yang tiles, a type of traditional tile that the Hmong people still commonly use for their houses.
The exterior of the house is decorated with calcite stone tables and chairs dating back to the dawn of time.
Upon entering the traditional Hmong house, visitors will see amulets for peace and protection, intended to bring good fortune and ward off evil spirits.
The most unique feature of this house is that it has no rafters, only beams supporting columns. This is an ancient architectural style found only in the homes of wealthy Hmong people.
The entire house is made of red pine, a type of wood that very few houses can afford today. This is because red pine only grows on high rocky mountains and is very difficult to harvest. To build a house, the wood must be thousands of years old.
The house is divided into three sections and has two floors. Two sections are for sleeping and one section is for receiving guests.
The lower floor is decorated with traditional ethnic costumes: Lo Lo, Mong, Tay, Pa Then, Thai, Hoa, and various traditional musical instruments such as Mong flutes, Thai zithers, and guitars.
Behind the house is a Hmong kitchen. On winter days, tourists often gather around the fire, playing music and sharing warm cups of fermented corn wine. During Tet (Vietnamese New Year), the kitchen will have smoked buffalo meat and smoked sausages on display. On ordinary days, Mr. Than will dry sticky rice and corn. In addition, there are some fossilized rocks that tourists can see firsthand at the house.
Behind the main Hmong kitchen is a traditional wooden-fired distillery. Here, Uncle Than will brew corn liquor with leaf yeast to offer to visiting guests from afar. Next to the distillery is a vegetable garden with various kinds of flowers and vegetables, providing meals for tourists.
Today, this old house has become an extremely popular homestay. Tourists visiting Dong Van often choose the Old House homestay to experience the traditional culture of the Mong people. At this accommodation, Mr. Than's family also offers some local specialties such as eucommia honey, ginseng, corn wine, dried cured meat and sausages, and dried beef, which tourists can buy as gifts for their relatives.
This is not only a place for tourists to relax, but also a place for many artists to interact and learn from each other.
