 Located in Sa Phin (Tshuaj Peej) Valley (village), Dong Van ( Dong Penh) town, Ha Giang ( Hu Yang) province. Next to the Vietnam-China border (North-East Viet Nam). It was built at the end of the 19th century; and finished in 1906. Vương Chính Đức(Vaj Zoov Looj) hired more than 300 laborers who are the Hui minority from China to build the palace with the architect of the Qing dynasty's palaces( the last China emperor). It is well-known as "The Stone Palace" of "Hmong King" (Dinh Vua Mèo) or, "The Stone Palace of the Vang" (Dinh nhà Vương)... |
This map and 2 of the photos from this page are from "Kien Truc Nha Dep" (Fine Architecture) Magazin, Jan/2002.
Over this rocky mountain where Vaj Zoov Lung's tomb is, every October, these triangle-petals flowers bloom all over. It's also used as food (the plants) for the Hmong people here. (a kind of Barley / Buckwheat) (lus Hmoob hu "nchej" ua ncuav ?piam nchej/the clan system's signal)
 The very 1st time finding a good place to build the headquarters, Vaj Zoov Lung found this valley the best location; water ran down from the cliffs and the ground was then raised above the valley as a turtle with 4 legs; and 2 ridges of the mountain on the left and right side of the palace makes it 2 chair's arms. The Eastern mountains are very high and impressive, while the Western mountains are lower and discontinuous. |
After finished building the palace in 1906, a Chinese feng-shui teller passed by and exclaimed that the higher Eastern mountains are the Yin, represents female of our clan, while the lower Western mountains are the Yang, means male of the clan.
All are said and done, and destiny's choice has proved until nowadays, that most of the men in our clan couldn't live longer or couldn't maintain things, but the women.
 The whole architecture is formed into a "Wang" ( "King") letter  , with 3 main houses in a straight line, and 2 rows of houses on 2 sides ("lw ?phas") |
 There are 2 battlements. The barbican is approximately 1ft-3" in thickness and about 6ft-5" in height. The 2nd wall is much more thicker and solidified. |
 Approach the ramp of the house, the main road is made of large, flat, square flagstone. |
 Between the 2 battlements is a large land for over 100-year-old Po-Mu pine trees. |
 The main palace is straightforward to the battlement's gate. |
A Phoenix on the left and a Dragon on the right; with a pair of parallel sentences: "The Door Respect Righteousness, Heroes Pass-by" // "The House Accumulate Goodness, the Sages Call-on" |
  Two other flats are parallel to each other and right-angled with the main one in the front house. All decorations are made of rare wood. Included roofs are Fokieni pine wood. |
  There's a big water pool, used to contain enough water for house members and troops. Back in the days, when the jungles are full of trees, this pool is never empty. |
Years have gone by, and our stone palace needs an upgrade. 2004, the Vietnamese government started to restore it to its old form. This is a project of approximately one million dollars.
All our family members (those who have lived there ever since are descendants of the second and third wives of Vaj Zoov Looj, while descendants of the first wife live out of town and overseas) have moved out for the house's reconstruction. Now they have their own houses next to the palace so that they can take care of it and give guides to tourists.
(These photos were taken in 2002 by Lig Vaj, before the full restoration)