I can’t answer for these houses but in northern Australia, where it is incredibly hot and humid, they (used to) build houses like this to improve airflow and help keep the house cooler, as well as for flood protection.
In Lismore (also Australia), the stilts had to be high because white man built a town where the aboriginals warned it floods routinely. Guess what we found out in 2022? Turns out no matter how tall the stilts are, you’ll still get flooded.
It’s a variation of this style of rural Khmer house:
Are they built in flood-prone areas, or are they just on stilts for fun?
I can’t answer for these houses but in northern Australia, where it is incredibly hot and humid, they (used to) build houses like this to improve airflow and help keep the house cooler, as well as for flood protection.
In Lismore (also Australia), the stilts had to be high because white man built a town where the aboriginals warned it floods routinely. Guess what we found out in 2022? Turns out no matter how tall the stilts are, you’ll still get flooded.