"For the past 22 years the 200 people of this village have shared all three daily meals together," Nong Thi Hao, 60, a resident of the village in Thinh Duc Commune in the northern city of Thai Nguyen, says.

Tay residents of Thai Hai take part in a traditional New Year ceremony in early 2023.

After breakfast each heads off for work. Hao and her husband, Ha Van Kiu, 62, pick and roast tea leaves. Her son-in-law works as a carpenter while her daughter and daughter-in-law manage tourism services.

Others distill alcohol, harvest beeswax, tend livestock, or farm. Children under five attend a nursery in the village and older students either go to school on their own or are taken there.

At 11 a.m. another round of clappers signals lunchtime. While villagers used to gather around shared platters and wait until everyone arrived, they now receive individual portions tailored to their needs and schedules.

Still many wait for all family members to come before eating, honoring tradition. By 7 p.m., families return to their homes for private time together.

"What makes Thai Hai different is that we share one pot and one purse," Hao explains. Each person chooses a job suited to their skills. Hao and her husband only pick and roast tea; others handle sales.

All income is pooled into a shared fund overseen by the village head and council. This fund covers everything, from daily meals, electricity, and tools to home repairs, tuition, medical care, and wedding costs.

Nong Thi Hao prepares hot water for tea at her home in Thai Hai Village, Thinh Duc Commune, Thai Nguyen City, April 24, 2025.

For personal items like phones or laptops, residents submit a request to the council for approval. Yet no one compares possessions or contributions. Material status holds little meaning here.

This lifestyle began with 63-year-old Nguyen Thi Thanh Hai, an ethnic Tay woman from Dinh Hoa District in Thai Nguyen Province. In the early 2000s she saw younger generations abandon traditional stilt houses and cultural practices.

Fearing the loss of Tay identity, she mortgaged all her assets to buy 30 ancient stilt houses. In 2003 she relocated them to a 20-hectare plot on the outskirts of Thai Nguyen City, founding a Tay community dedicated to preserving traditional ways.

Two years later Thai Hai village was born. At first only her family and a dozen others who cherished Tay culture joined. Together, they built the village from scratch, digging water channels, installing electricity, making bricks, paving roads, and planting trees on barren land.

This communal lifestyle has eased the burden for many, especially women. Nhung, 40, says life in the village feels "like a dream" because she does not have to worry about daily meals or getting her children to school.

When it is time for her children to marry, the entire village helps with the wedding preparations. "I am good with sales and customer service," she says. "As long as I fulfill my responsibilities, others will take care of the rest."

In 2014 Thai Nguyen Province recognized Thai Hai as an official tourist destination. Visitors were initially drawn by its peaceful scenery and traditional meals.

Word spread, and as tourism grew, some villagers shifted to community-based tourism while preserving their traditional way of life. In 2022 the United Nations World Tourism Organization named Thai Hai one of the world’s best tourism villages.

Despite the recognition, Thai Hai has stayed grounded, says its deputy head, Le Thi Nga. While some residents serve tourists, others continue making herbal medicine, distilling spirits and preparing traditional sweets.

The 30 ancient stilt houses, some nearly a century old, remain homes and guest spaces. Children learn Then folk songs, play traditional games and speak the Tay language to protect their heritage.

"Thai Hai was created to safeguard Tay culture, not just the physical structure of stilt houses, but their soul: the way of life and village values," Nga says. She believes the younger generation is committed to preserving the spirit of "sharing one pot and one purse."

Though originally established by Tay people, Thai Hai now welcomes families from other ethnic groups like the Kinh, Nung and San Chay. People have come from across the country, including the southern province of Kien Giang, drawn to a lifestyle that values happiness and tradition.

Le Thi Hao, a retired math teacher from Thai Nguyen City, moved to the village in 2007 with her husband and children. They now raise bees and produce brocade.

At first, she found it hard to adjust to the "work together, spend together" model, but later came to embrace it. "Living without the constant pressure of making ends meet has lifted a weight off my shoulders," she says. "I feel connected to nature, the forest and the mountains."

Nong Thi Hao, whose father is Nung and mother is Tay, only lived in a stilt house until the age of eight. For her, the community has revived something deeply personal.

"It was not until I returned to Thai Hai that I truly felt I had come home, to my childhood, to my roots."

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