To build the walls and roof of their houses, the
Hmong and the
Dao use one of the most popular woods in the area, peumou (Fokienia Hodginsii) also called "coffin wood" because the Hmong and the Chinese like to bury their dead in it.
Insects do not attack peumou and it does not deteriorate when in
contact with water. Roofs made of peumou shingle will last up to 70
years. Some can be seen in
Cat Cat,
Lao Chai and
Ta
Van.
