Kin Chu Phin Village, Lao Cai

Introduction to Kin Chu Phin Village 

Located deep in the valley, in the middle of a large hill, square roofs covered with grass over time have been covered with a layer of moss into giant “mushroom” houses, Kin Chu Phin village attracts many visitors to come and admire this unique and strange beauty. Kin Chu Phin is a small village located in the most remote and high mountainous area of Nam Pung commune, Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, bordering China. This place is crowded with Red Dao and Ha Nhi ethnic people living.

Kin Chu Phin is about 10km from the center of Nam Pung commune (Bat Xat). At an altitude of 1,000m above sea level, the air in Kin Chu Phin in winter, the temperature is low, and there is a time when snow covers a corner of the sky. Kin Chu Phin is a village of the Dao people. With the harsh weather typical of the Northwest highlands, the “mushroom houses” represent the unique architecture of houses of ethnic minorities here, helping people cope with the cold of the highland winter, but still airy and completely cool in the summer. From a distance, the houses in the village are like “giant mushrooms” growing from the ground. 

Because of the erratic climate, the people here often have the habit of storing a lot of firewood for cooking and heating in the winter. Therefore, when choosing a wife, the Ha Nhi boys all notice that if a house has a lot of firewood, the girl in that house must be very hardworking. It is not difficult for visitors to see the image of Ha Nhi women in traditional blue costumes with their backs to a large, heavy firewood basket. Although tired, every time they see tourists passing by, they always have a friendly smile.