(VOVworld) The Communal House in the northern central highlands, often called Rong House, is a special architecture of local people. This type of house witnesses important events of the community where the time-honored traditions and customs are passed from generations to generations. We now explore the Rong House of Ba Na ethnic people in the central highlands province of Kon Tum.

A new Rong House in Kon Klor village Kon Tum province

Rong house is built when a new village is founded. The construction is done jointly by villagers. The elderly are in charge of looking for a proper location, which ideally should be warm in winter and cool in summer. More importantly, the house must be seen from all direction when visitors come to the village. The construction time depends on the size of the house. Village elderly A Juu from Kon Tum says an 80 square meter house with a 16 meter roof takes a year to complete: “Our village house was built 10 years ago. All the villagers were involved in different stages of construction. We were divided into groups of dozens of people in charge of different workload.”

Rong House is a place to organize traditional festivals and foster community unity. Elderly A Nhon from Kon Tum: “We gather in the house to settle community issues. The size of the Rong house is decided by our village’s population.”

Kun Tum provincial party organization has issued a resolution to call for the restoration of traditional Rong House. As a result, most Rong Houses in the province are built in the traditional way with all materials from the nature. A Banh from Kon Tum City says that his village holds a flag hoisting ceremony at the Rong house every Monday morning:“We inform villagers of major events last week and this week. Important messages including healthcare and vaccination are delivered here.”

Rong House is considered the heart of the village where ancient history and legends are preserved for future generations. Rong House is not only the pride of local people, but also a great tourist attraction for its imposing beauty as well as its traditional value.

VOV