A place to preserve the soul of traditional stilt houses
Muong Lay town, Dien Bien province, considered the smallest district-level administrative unit in the country, has just made a special mark when the Vietnam Record Organization set a record as "The town with the highest density of traditional stilt houses of the Thai ethnic group in Vietnam".
This not only honors the value of unique cultural heritage but also opens up new perspectives on a unique Muong Lay.
With a natural area of just over 11,266 hectares, accounting for about 1% of the area of Dien Bien and Muong Lay has long been the smallest town in the country.However, this place contains an incredible density of traditional stilt houses.
According to statistics, out of 3,198 houses in the town, up to 1,192 are traditional stilt houses of the White Thai people, reaching a density of about 10.58 houses/km².This is a high density of stilt houses that are superior to the similarities of Thai Thai, Thai White Industry.
For example, Quynh Nhai district, Son La province has a density of 1.24 houses/km²; Moc Chau town, Son La province is 1.6 houses/km²; Nam Nhun district, Lai Chau province is 1.44 houses/km²; Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province 0.27 houses/km².
The first impression when arriving in Muong Lay is the image of the stilt houses planned neatly and airy along the Son La hydroelectric lake.
Many houses still retain the ancient architecture, especially the roofs of natural stone roofs - a feature only in Muong Lay.These stone tiles are exploited along the Da River and crafted in Song Da Ward, creating a unique beauty and sustainability for stilt houses.
The cradle of the White Thai people before becoming a town of Dien Bien province in 2004 after separating Lai Chau province, Muong Lay was the capital of the former Lai Chau province.
Muong Lay is known as the cradle of the White Thai people, which preserves many unique traditional culture.
With nearly 70% of the population of Thai people out of more than 11,500 people (about 3,050 households), Thai culture has been imbued with the lives of the people here.
The evidence is that the art of spread and the Kin Pang Then ceremony of the Thai town of Muong Lay town has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2016.
The Kin Pang Then Ceremony is a long -standing spiritual ritual, showing the concept of the White Thai people about the gods sent by the gods to help the Muong people.The festival usually takes place in the early spring, when flowers bloom white mountains, is an opportunity to thank the then and pray for a peaceful new year, bumper crops.
Meanwhile, Thai Drying Art plays an important role in spiritual life, a bond that connects the community. The rounds of banh xe are not only an entertainment dance after working hours but also show the spirit of solidarity and attachment of the Thai people. This is a unique cultural feature that visitors should not miss when exploring Muong Lay.
Not only rich in culture, Muong Lay is also favored by nature with its mountains and forests, vast forests with a forest coverage rate of over 65% - the highest in Dien Bien province. This is also the meeting place of 3 major rivers: Da River, Nam Na River and Nam Lay Stream.
A significant part of Muong Lay's appearance today is shaped by the Son La hydropower project. More than 4,000 households have relocated to make way for the lake, of which over 2,000 households have been resettled on site by moving up higher hillsides.
At the end of April 2025, the People's Council of Dien Bien province passed a Resolution on the Project to rearrange and reorganize administrative units at the provincial and commune levels.
Accordingly, Muong Lay ward was established on the basis of merging all 3 administrative units under Muong Lay town and Pa Tong commune (Muong Cha district).
After the arrangement, Muong Lay ward has a natural area of 222.65 km2; population of 18,208 people. The working headquarters of Muong Lay ward is expected to be located at the entire current headquarters of the Town Party Committee, People's Council and People's Committee of Muong Lay town.
