Khuổi Ky Stone Village – a stone village over 400 years old in the remote region of Cao Bang.

The stone village of Khuổi Ky is located on provincial road 206 leading to Ngườm Ngao cave, just 2km from Bản Giốc waterfall. This ancient village was formed between 1594 and 1677, when the Mạc family fled from Thăng Long to Cao Bằng and built houses of stone to serve as a defensive “fortress.” Khuổi Ky currently has 16 households of the Tày ethnic group living with 14 stone houses built in the 16th century, the architecture remains intact as it was originally.

2. Meaning of the name "Khuổi Ky"

In the Tày language, Khuổi Ky means a small stream, referring to the stream running right in front of the village, while behind the village is a rocky mountain. The road leading into the village is paved with stones, and the fences separating the houses are also meticulously arranged with stone. In an area of about 10,000m2, the houses in the stone village of Khuổi Ky are built closely together, with the remaining land used for cultivation.

3. Custom of building houses with stone

The custom of building houses with stone originates from the belief in the stone god of the Tày people, a deity that protects their peaceful lives. It takes about 2 to 3 years to build a stone house. Each house is usually 5 to 7 meters high, consisting of 2 floors. The ground floor has wooden pillars firmly erected on a stone foundation. The roof is covered with yin-yang tiles. Therefore, stone houses are always cool in summer and warm in winter.

In 2008, the stone village of Khuổi Ky was recognized as a “Typical traditional cultural village of ethnic minorities.” Since 2016, thanks to investment attention, the locals have been eager to learn about community tourism, and now Khuổi Ky has 14 households participating in tourism. Despite these changes, the people still remind each other to preserve their ethnic identity, which is the core attraction of the stone village at the border.