The Rongs of Kon Tum, March 2019

The Central Highlands of Vietnam are home to many peoples, including the Bahnar. The Bahnar are mostly Catholic now, and their history with the Church is deep and unusually equal. In the 1800s, missionaries fleeing Vietnam took shelter among the Bahnar. Catholics arrived among the Bahnar, not as missionaries, but as refugees.

The Bahnar have an older traditon, of village houses or rong. These are amazing buildings, originally thatched but now sometimes metallic, built tall as a form of passive air conditioning.

The rong have roof combs, which are very beautiful. The Bahnar are very serious about basketry, thatching, and folk art. These buildings, which are scattered through and around Kon Tum, are unsung masterpieces of… embroidery? I don’t even know what to call this art.