Highland man sawing board with hand tools outside house in Mai Chau

A highland man wearing just shorts uses a large frame saw to cut a board outside an elevated wood house in Mai Chau. The man braces the board with one foot against the top of his handmade work bench. A hammer rests on the bench in the foreground. Wooden stairs and pillars supporting an elevated wood house are seen in the rear.

In highland regions of Southeast Asia, most men learn the carpentry skills to build their own homes of wood or other plant materials. Generally, they work with hand tools, using no electricity. Metal parts, generally now imported from the cities, are either forged in the village or bought pre-made from blacksmiths in larger towns.