This house was built in 1984 in De Cho Chua A Village, Mu Cang Chai District, Yen Bai Province by Mr. Thao Nu Thao's family, all members of the Flower Hmong people. After his father’s death in 1997, Mr. Thao Phang Khay, the eldest son, inherited the house.
Formerly the house was the home of Mr. Khay, aged 27, his wife and their two children. The Museum bought the house and invited seven of the local Flower Hmong villagers to reconstruct it on the museum grounds. This took six days.
It is made entirely of pomu woodor fokienia hodginsii, a characteristic tree of the region’s forest. The roof is covered with 600 large shingles, each 1.2m long and 0.3m to 0.4m wide. Some shingles can be moved to make light for women who weave inside the house. The house was built using traditional Hmong hand forged axes, knives and chisels.
A forge and stable were also built within the house compound.
