The Rong communal houses of Vietnam are towering wooden houses that are built on stilts and can reach up to 100 feet in height. Take a look.
Amanda Goh
![The Rong communal houses of Vietnam are towering wooden houses that are built on stilts and can reach up to 100 feet in height. Take a look.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticbiassets.in%2Fthumb%2Fmsid-90971548%2Cwidth-700%2Cheight-525%2Cimgsize-4910710%2Fthe-rong-communal-houses-of-vietnam-are-towering-wooden-houses-that-are-built-on-stilts-and-can-reach-up-to-100-feet-in-height-take-a-look-.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
- A towering stilt house can be found in villages of the ethnic minorities in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
- Known as the Rong, the communal building was traditionally made from wood and bamboo.
The Bahnar people are one of 53 ethnic minorities in Vietnam. They live primarily in the provinces of Dak Lak and Kon Tum in Vietnam's Central Highlands, which borders Cambodia and Laos. At the center of Bahnar people's villages stands a grand communal house called the Rong.
![The Bahnar people are one of 53 ethnic minorities in Vietnam. They live primarily in the provinces of Dak Lak and Kon Tum in Vietnam](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-90971733,width-700,height-525,imgsize-2081772/the-bahnar-people-are-one-of-53-ethnic-minorities-in-vietnam-they-live-primarily-in-the-provinces-of-dak-lak-and-kon-tum-in-vietnamaposs-central-highlands-which-borders-cambodia-and-laos-at-the-center-of-bahnar-peopleaposs-villages-stands-a-grand-communal-house-called-the-rong-.jpg)
Each Bahnar village has its own Rong, and it tends to be the tallest building in the village, Natasha Pairaudeau, a researcher at Centre for History and Economics at the University of Cambridge, told Insider.
A typical Rong is usually 15 to 20 meters tall (approximately 50 to 65 feet), but it can be as tall as 30 meters (98 feet).
The Rong is the heart of the village. It's a communal area where villagers gather for events and discussions.
![The Rong is the heart of the village. It](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-90971722,width-700,height-525,imgsize-348392/the-rong-is-the-heart-of-the-village-itaposs-a-communal-area-where-villagers-gather-for-events-and-discussions-.jpg)
Celebrations, religious ceremonies, and administrative meetings all take place in and around the Rong. As the main building of the village, the Rong is also where guests are received.
Men tend to gather in the Rong in their free time. While it is not a home, the Rong serves as a space where bachelors and widowers could spend the night.
Villagers traditionally used bamboo and wood to build the communal houses.
![Villagers traditionally used bamboo and wood to build the communal houses.](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-90971715,width-700,height-525,imgsize-1450146/villagers-traditionally-used-bamboo-and-wood-to-build-the-communal-houses-.jpg)
The sides of the thatched roofs were placed at a sharp angle, giving the house its distinctive look. On the inside, bamboo sticks were tied together to support the roof.
"When the Rong house was built all those decades ago, each household was assigned a quota for completing a certain amount of bamboo partitioning and thatch for the roof," Dinh Blot, a native from Plei Hle Ktu Village in Gia Lai, told Vietnam News. His village's Rong took five years to complete.
Villagers access the building by climbing up steps carved into logs.
![Villagers access the building by climbing up steps carved into logs.](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-90971709,width-700,height-525,imgsize-975358/villagers-access-the-building-by-climbing-up-steps-carved-into-logs-.jpg)
The houses were built on stilts for several reasons, Pairaudeau told Insider.
In addition to protection against flooding, stilts keep the building mud-free and provide space underneath for villagers to keep animals in pens, she said.
"Keeping it off the ground and having the high roof all go hand in hand with creating something that impresses people," she added.
Inside the Rong is a single room that's large enough to accommodate all the villagers.
![Inside the Rong is a single room that](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-90971704,width-700,height-525,imgsize-1031794/inside-the-rong-is-a-single-room-thataposs-large-enough-to-accommodate-all-the-villagers-.jpg)
Villagers hold spiritual and religious rites in the Rong. The Rong is also where ceremonial objects — such as rice wine and metal gongs — are stored, Pairaudeau said.
"What you would often find traditionally in these houses are large jars that were used for alcohol. Depending on the different ethnic groups, people would drink out of long straws as part of a ritual meeting," she said.
The Bahnar people also hang the heads of buffalo and other animal sacrifices in the Rong.
In recent years, many traditional Rong houses have been repaired with concrete and metal.
![In recent years, many traditional Rong houses have been repaired with concrete and metal.](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-90971701,width-700,height-525,imgsize-769102/in-recent-years-many-traditional-rong-houses-have-been-repaired-with-concrete-and-metal-.jpg)
The modernization of the Rong has been a source of tension between the ethnic minorities and the government, Pairaudeau said.
"What the government wanted to do was to replace cultural houses that were falling into disrepair with concrete buildings on stilts," she said.
Most of the repaired buildings retain original wooden floors and walls, but have a metal roof.
As the Rong is built from memory, it is almost impossible to find a building blueprint, Khép, a village elder from Tnùng Village in Gia Lai, told Vietnam News.
There are ongoing efforts to conserve Rong houses, some of which are open to visitors despite being in use.
![There are ongoing efforts to conserve Rong houses, some of which are open to visitors despite being in use.](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-90971695,width-700,height-525,imgsize-615990/there-are-ongoing-efforts-to-conserve-rong-houses-some-of-which-are-open-to-visitors-despite-being-in-use-.jpg)
In other cases, some Rong houses are still being built from scratch for exhibition and educational purposes.
In the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi, a group of Bahnar craftspeople constructed a Rong using traditional tools, techniques, and materials. Modeled after the one in their own village from the early 1920s, the exhibition piece was completed in June 2003.
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