Abstract: The vernacular settlements of the Dai ethnic group in Xishuangbanna have unique environmental-cultural corresponding characteristics which are quite different from those in the Central Plains in terms of the spatial form and construction mode. This research based on perspectives of “emics” and “etics” of the cultural anthropology. From the view of “emics”, it discovers several principles of the Dai people in choosing landform and topography, and the eight settlement types. From the view of “etics”, it expounds the “double-center” characteristics of village center and temple center, the regional distribution of "mountain-forest-water-village-field", and the path weaving of the water system and road system. It tries to construct a built environment model of the Dai's vernacular settlements in Xishuangbanna and show the applicability and superiority of cultural anthropology research methods in the study of vernacular settlements in ethnic areas.