Rong House

(PICTURE: A rong house.)

Before I continue the bizarre day story, let me just post about something I find personally pretty cool. In Hanoi is the Museum of Ethnology. In the back of the museum are a ton of different ethnic style houses. I've jokingly said more than a few times to people, "I don't believe any of those houses really exist outside of the museum." I mean, I had been to many minority villages and almost all of them had the same stilt house style. However, this minority tribe had one of the more unusual structures I've been in. We actually had seen quite a few Rong houses while driving around the Central Highlands but this was the only one we were invited into:


(PICTURE: Huyen and the elder in front of the Rong House.)

The town elder told us that the guys usually meet in the house about once a month to drink. Naturally women aren't invited in. If a woman decides to show up, well, she's got to pay a penalty which is usually either a pig or a buffalo.


(PICTURE: The elder showing us how the roof is made.)