Wandering through the stilt houses and shaded green pathways of Thai Hai Village, a young Brazilian traveler found herself immersed in what felt less like a tourist destination and more like a living museum.

Juliana Alves Noronha, 27, has spent nearly two weeks living among the Tay ethnic community in the northern Vietnamese province of Thai Nguyen — not as a passing visitor, but as a volunteer, helping the village with photography and media work as part of its tourism efforts.

Drawn to traditional cultures, Noronha has traveled extensively, often choosing to live with locals rather than follow the typical tourist trail. 

Her journey across Vietnam this September led her to Thai Hai — the village that in 2022 was named one of the world's best tourism villages by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Thai Hai is home to 30 original stilt houses relocated from Dinh Hoa Safe Zone more than two decades ago in a community-led effort to preserve the architecture and cultural practices of the Tay people. 

Surrounded by century-old trees and lush greenery, the village is not only a place to visit but a way of life shared with guests.

With a camera slung over her shoulder, Noronha has blended into the rhythm of village life — participating in daily routines, eating communal meals with local families, and documenting cultural performances and community gatherings.

For the Brazilian traveler, the most striking aspect of Thai Hai was the sense of collective living — where people still cook over open fires, eat from a shared pot, and live with a deep sense of togetherness.

The village's traditional cuisine, served in family homes rather than restaurants, offered her an entirely different taste of Vietnam, shaped by local ingredients and generations-old recipes.

Before arriving in Thai Nguyen, Noronha had sampled the street food of Hanoi. 

But the meals she encountered in the village, she felt, carried not just flavors, but stories.

Each dish, served on the wooden floors of stilt homes, reflected the identity and warmth of the people who prepared it.

She is not the only one to have extended her stay. 

According to village leaders, several young travelers who initially booked short visits have ended up staying for a week or longer, drawn in by the peaceful environment and hands-on cultural experiences — from farming and weaving to community feasts.

Thai Hai is the result of a 20-year vision led by village chief Nguyen Thi Thanh Hai. 

In the early 2000s, concerned that Tay cultural traditions were being lost, she purchased and relocated 30 historic homes to a new site in Tan Cuong Commune. 

The oldest house, now over 80 years old, still preserves the original beams, pillars, and indoor hearth typical of traditional Tay architecture.

Today, the village stands as a model of community-based cultural preservation — where locals and visitors live side by side, and heritage is not displayed behind glass but passed on through daily life.