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Located in Lo Lo Chai village, Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang province, Danh House is not just a homestay but also a bridge connecting tourists with the culture of the Lo Lo ethnic group. With houses modeled after bronze drums, it offers tourists a vivid experience of the customs and cultural beauty of the Lo Lo people, while also providing a space to admire the majestic natural scenery.
Dảnh House is not just a place to stay, but also a space for visitors to learn about the life and customs of the Lo Lo people in the northernmost region of Vietnam.
Ms. My Khanh, owner of Danh House, shared with Travellive: "I am a daughter-in-law of the Lo Lo ethnic group, and I met my husband while we were still in university. After graduating, I decided to settle down and build my career in Dong Van, where my husband's family lives."
The Vàng clan is a large clan of the Lô Lô ethnic group in Lô Lô Chải village, Lũng Cú commune. During his lifetime, the head of the Vàng clan, Mr. Vàng Dỉ Thuấn (the grandfather of the owner of Dảnh House), donated a drum from his clan to the Museum of Vietnamese Ethnic Cultures for research and display purposes. In 2015, the Prime Minister recognized the "Lô Lô bronze drum" as a national treasure.
This homestay stands out with its design inspired by the shape of a bronze drum.
With the desire to promote family traditions and vividly showcase the bronze drum culture of the Lo Lo ethnic group, after consulting with the village elders – respected figures in Lo Lo Chai village – Ms. My Khanh's family boldly built a homestay with bungalows designed to resemble pairs of bronze drums (single and double rooms like male and female drums). Furthermore, the rooms at Danh House demonstrate the connection between culture and tourism, while contributing to the province's goal: "Using traditional culture to develop tourism, and using tourism to preserve culture."
In the Lolo language, 'Dảnh' means bronze drum. Lolo bronze drums are considered sacred objects by the people, connecting humans with deities.
Dảnh House is designed with a central traditional wooden house, surrounded by bungalows modeled after five pairs of drums representing the five oldest and most populous clans in Lô Lô Chải village (the Vàng, Mùng, Sình, Dìu, and Lù clans).
Explaining the name of the homestay, Ms. My Khanh added: “In the Lo Lo language, 'Dảnh' means bronze drum. The Lo Lo bronze drum is considered sacred by the people, connecting them with deities. Our family wants to introduce and promote this unique cultural heritage of the Lo Lo people to friends both domestically and internationally through a tourism-based economic development model.”
Inside Danh House homestay
At Dảnh, there are three room categories. The traditional wooden house rooms are small, cozy rooms designed like typical family bedrooms, renovated from the family's own house. Other rooms have balconies, one side facing the Lung Cu flagpole, the other overlooking the peaceful and picturesque Lo Lo Chai village center. The bronze drum bungalow category is the main room type of the homestay, including single and double rooms (modeled after male drums, called Dảnh Pò, and female drums, called Dảnh Mo). Each bronze drum room has its own small courtyard with tables and chairs for guests to relax and breathe in the fresh mountain air.
Dảnh House doesn't build traditional earthen houses like other accommodations, but instead designs its houses 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 Black Lo Lo 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 the locals such as: wedding processions, baby naming ceremonies, ancestor worship ceremonies, and learning about the hand embroidery process of traditional Lolo women's clothing... Dảnh House also regularly organizes campfire minishows and cultural exchanges, creating opportunities for visitors to experience local life more deeply.
In addition, Danh House offers a variety of experiences such as: enjoying local cuisine, hot stone sauna, therapeutic hair washing, and foot soaking in agarwood tub with highland herbs…
Dảnh House has an area of 1,600 square meters, with two-thirds of the space being garden grounds, providing a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.
According to Ms. My Khanh, the most challenging part of Danh House's initial steps was constructing the room shaped like a bronze drum, a type of architecture no other company had ever undertaken. The homeowner encouraged the workers to be creative while simultaneously 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 our national cultural traditions. Even while developing economically, we still consider culture central, raising awareness of preserving and safeguarding the core spirit of our nation passed down from our ancestors,” said Ms. My Khanh.
As night falls, Danh House becomes unusually enchanting.
