The strange village eats the same pot, the same money, the guests are forced to wash their hands with the "magic well"

Thai Hai village, also known by names such as "Thai Hai Ecological Ethnic Stilt Village Conservation Area" or "Thai Hai Family", is located in My Hao hamlet, Thinh Duc commune, Thai Nguyen city, only about 7 km from the city center.

With the rustic, imbued with the traditional culture of the Tay ethnic group, Thai Hai village has created a magical charm, attracting a large number of tourists to come back.

Not only known as a "strange village" in the North, Thai Hai has become an attractive destination of Thai Nguyen tourism. This village was once listed by the travel website CNN Travel on the list of the most beautiful rural areas in the world and is 1 of 3 villages in Vietnam awarded the "Best Tourism Village in the World" by the World Tourism Organization in 2022.

The whole village lives like a big family

Unlike any other village in Vietnam, in this particular village, small families do not have their own property. Information in the report Panorama 24 - VTV9 channel broadcast on May 23, 2025 records that the whole village has nearly 200 people, living in more than 50 stilt houses like a large family, clearly divided work, cooks, breeders, raising children and doing community tourism.

The whole village is nearly 200 people "eating the same pot".

In Thai Hai, regularly three meals a day, the whole village gathers together at the food court to eat together and tell each other interesting stories in life. All production activities in Thai Hai are self-sufficient, the products made by each person will be collected, then serve the needs of each person and the village community.

Low, rustic stilt houses on tree-lined streets in Thai Hai. Photo: Portal of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Each house in Thai Hai is also divided according to different functions and tasks. Besides serving the needs of daily life, the houses are also the place to serve the needs of production and development of community tourism culture.

In Taihai, each person is in charge of a different job, no one is a refugee

The "winery" specializes in brewing and preserving national wine. "Wicker house" is a place to make household utensils made of bamboo and bamboo for the village to use and sell to tourists.

No one has their own money, nor does they need to use money

One thing that makes tourists excited when learning about Thai Hai village, is that all villagers here have a dream life when they do not have to be pressured to "eat rice and money". The whole village eats the same pot of rice, spends the same money, no one has the need to shop because there is a community that takes care of everything, from food, accommodation to children's education.

People in the village said that no one here has to think about money, nor do they have to think about what to eat today. When it comes to eating with everyone, anyone who needs any utensils or production materials just needs to report to the front desk. The products are brought to the village's stalls to sell to tourists.

The people of Tai Hai village are busy preparing to welcome guests

The money from the sale of these products will be put into the general fund to take care of the education of children, the health of the elderly and the general affairs of the villagers, no one is a burden to anyone but an indispensable part of the community.

Where the woman is "unburdened"

Sharing with VTV9 Vietnam Television broadcast on May 23, 2025, Ms. Tran Thi Quyet (a resident of Thai Hai village) said: "My hometown is in Ha Nam, I want to go back to my hometown, I ask for money. I want to go to the South to visit my father, I also ask for money, I don't have to worry about anything."

With the view that all live, work, and enjoy together, in Thai Hai, a woman's responsibility to take care of her family and children is lighter and more open. Women here who are healthy participate in work, and rest when they are tired.

New New Year of Thai Hai villagers

Raising children and taking care of the elderly here is also a common task of the whole village. Children go to school, the elderly and sick are well cared for. Children in the village from kindergarten to grade 5 wear traditional indigo costumes every day and go to school at the village school. The teachers in the village are also the girls who grew up from the village, went to school and then returned to contribute to the development of their homeland.

If you want to enter the village, you must wash your hands with "magic well" water - a unique cultural feature of the Tay people

Thai Hai has 3 main products to introduce to tourists, namely stilt house architecture, cuisine and traditional culture of the Tay people.

In addition to 50 ancient stilt houses, household utensils and items such as rice mills, rice mills using water, wooden rice trays, baskets, bamboo peonies, and furniture to store furniture. are all outstanding cultural and material treasures of ethnic minorities.

Besides, there are traditional costumes, cuisines such as banh chung, banh gai, lam tea, meat hanging in the kitchen and distilled leaf yeast wine according to the traditional method...

In addition, intangible culture is highly valued in Taihai, especially language. In this village, all members communicate with each other in the ethnic language, practice and pass on then singing and dancing every day, preserving the family tradition. In addition, the beauty of spiritual culture and beliefs such as the lantern festival, the celebration of life, the worship of women and the rituals of ancestor worship are maintained.

One cultural beauty that makes Thai Hai different and makes tourists excited is the ritual: washing hands with the water of the divine well. Accordingly, all "strangers" before entering the village will be invited to wash their hands at the divine well with the desire to help everyone always be peaceful and lucky - a small ritual but enough to show respect for the local culture.

Ritual of washing hands with holy water in Thai Hai village

In the midst of many changes in modern life, Thai Hai is not only a special village, but also a living symbol of a cohesive community, preserving culture and living in harmony with nature. With its unique cultural features and efforts to preserve and promote the culture left by his father, Thai Hai is considered a vivid demonstration of a sustainable, peaceful, loving and trusting community model.

From washing hands with the water of the divine well, eating floor rice together, listening to the sound of the lute, singing then verses... It is enough to feel relieved in my heart, temporarily put aside my daily worries. And also from there, we understand why this small village in the middle of the mountains and hills of Thai Nguyen has a strange attraction, not only to domestic tourists but also to international friends.

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