Located in Lo Lo Chai village, Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang province, Danh House is not only a homestay but also a bridge between tourists and Lo Lo ethnic culture. With houses modeled after bronze drums, this place offers tourists a vivid experience of the customs and cultural beauty of the Lo Lo people, while opening up a space to admire the majestic natural scenery.
Danh House is not only a place to stay but also a space for visitors to learn about the life and activities of the Lo Lo people in the northernmost region of the Fatherland.
Ms. My Khanh, the owner of Danh House, shared with Travellive: "I am a daughter-in-law of the Lo Lo ethnic group. I met my husband when I was still in school. After graduating from university, I decided to settle down and start a career in Dong Van, where my husband's family lives."
The Vang family is a large family of the Lo Lo ethnic group in Lo Lo Chai village, Lung Cu commune. During his lifetime, the head of the Vang family, Mr. Vang Di Thuan (grandfather of the owner of Danh House), donated a drum of the family to the Museum of Vietnamese Ethnic Cultures for research and display. In 2015, the Prime Minister recognized the "Lo Lo bronze drum" as a national treasure.
Homestay creates uniqueness with design simulating the shape of a bronze drum
With the desire to promote family tradition and promote the bronze drum culture of the Lo Lo ethnic group in a vivid way, after consulting with the village elders - prestigious people of Lo Lo Chai village, Ms. My Khanh's family boldly built a homestay with bungalows designed to simulate the shape of a pair of bronze drums (single and double rooms resemble a pair of male and female drums). In addition, the rooms at Danh House also demonstrate the connection between culture and tourism, while contributing to the province's goal: "Using traditional culture to develop tourism, using tourism to preserve culture".
The Lo Lo language 'Danh' means bronze drum. The Lo Lo bronze drum is considered by the people as a sacred object to connect people with the gods.
Danh House is designed with a traditional wooden house as the center, surrounded by bungalows simulating the shape of 5 pairs of drums of the 5 oldest and most populous families in Lo Lo Chai village (Vang, Mung, Sinh, Diu, Lu families).
Explaining the name of the homestay, Ms. My Khanh added: “In the Lo Lo language, 'Danh' means bronze drum. The Lo Lo bronze drum is considered a sacred object by the people to connect people with the gods. My family wants to introduce and promote the unique cultural heritage of the Lo Lo people to domestic and international friends through the tourism economic development model.”
Inside Danh House homestay
There are 3 types of rooms at Danh. The traditional wooden house room type is small, cozy like a normal family bedroom, renovated from the family's own house. Other rooms have balconies, one side facing Lung Cu flagpole, the other side looking towards the peaceful and poetic center of Lo Lo Chai village. The bronze drum bungalow type is the main room category of the homestay, including single rooms and double rooms (modeled after a male drum called Danh Po and a female drum called Danh Mo). Each bronze drum room type has its own small yard, with tables and chairs for visitors to relax and breathe the fresh air of the mountainous region.
Danh House does not build houses with earthen walls like other accommodations, but is designed in the shape of a bronze drum to promote the cultural values of the Lo Lo ethnic group, while preserving and promoting traditional values.
Ms. Hoang My Khanh in traditional costume of the Lo Lo Den ethnic group, Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang province
In addition to accommodation, visitors also have the opportunity to participate in community activities with local people such as: wedding processions, baby naming ceremonies, ancestor worship ceremonies, learning about the traditional hand embroidery process of Lo Lo women... Danh House also regularly organizes campfire minishows and cultural exchanges, creating opportunities for visitors to experience local life more deeply.
In addition, Danh House also offers a variety of experiences such as: enjoying local cuisine, hot stone sauna, hair washing and foot soaking in agarwood tub with highland herbs...
Danh House has an area of 1,600 square meters, 2/3 of the space is garden, bringing a feeling of comfort and relaxation.
According to Ms. My Khanh, the first steps of Danh House were the most difficult, which was to construct the bronze drum-shaped room, a type of architecture that no other unit had ever done before. The owner encouraged the workers to be creative, while also researching the structure to ensure safety, aesthetics, and overall harmony.
“The only thing I want at Danh House is for my children to grow up proud of their national cultural traditions. Despite economic development, culture is still considered the center, raising awareness of preserving and maintaining the core of the national soul from our ancestors,” said Ms. My Khanh.
As night falls, Danh House becomes unusually sparkling.
