Through a collective effort, a house is built in a day. The Va grow dry rice, maize, millet, buckwheat, potatoes, cotton, hemp, tobacco, sugarcane, bananas, papayas, mangos and oranges. However, they did not begin to be an agricultural community until the Qing Dynasty. Before that, they lived from hunting and collecting local fruits and vegetables. Va clothing is generally black.
Men wear black, collarless jackets and short, loose trousers.
On their head is often a black or red turban. Young men wear earrings with tassels. The women's clothing is significant both culturally and historically. They, too, wear collarless jackets along with skirts patterned in black, red, purple, blue and yellow. Women keep their hair long, coiled at the back.