The Origin Of Vietnamese Ethnicity

Vietnamese children have been given the legend of Lac Long Quan and Au Co since they were very little. Each of them took fifty boys and girls to various locations across our country and raised them. They had a total of one hundred offspring. This myth holds that we, Vietnamese, share a common ancestry and are all related by blood, giving rise to some shared traits. Vietnam features 54 distinct Vietnamese ethnicity groupings, each of which continues to practice distinct cultural practices. One of the most defining aspects of culture is language. In light of this, the demographers split the eight ethnic groups that make up the Vietnamese ethnicity and population. Each tribe has its own traditional dress and way of life, and they all reside in various parts of Vietnam.

Viet - Muong Group

Kinh, Muong, Tho, and Chut are the four ethnic groups represented in this group. The most numerous Vietnamese ethnicity group is known as Kinh (or Viet), and their language is regarded as Vietnamese. As a result, the majority of folks you will encounter in Vietnam will be of Kinh ethnicity. The Kinh people are thought to have originated in Northern and Northern-Central Vietnam and have since spread throughout the nation, settling in both urban areas like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi as well as rural areas. But because of the influence of the wet-rice civilisation, which emerged thousands of years ago, people like to live near rivers. Since they have assimilated into modern society and have engaged in cultural exchanges with various countries throughout the years, it is now difficult to identify their Vietnamese ethnicity based solely on appearance.

Some rural areas still use traditional house construction. Each home would include a yard with numerous trees or herbs, a court for kids to play on or for neighbors to visit and chat, and a pond for raising fish. The Kinh people's culture places such a high value on ancestor worship that altars can be found in practically every home. It is also emphasized during Tet Nguyen Dan, the greatest holiday in Vietnam. Given that the first day of the lunar calendar typically falls in this month, Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, takes place in February. Although the Gregorian Calendar is now widely utilized, the Kinh prefer to use the lunar calendar when deciding on an appropriate day to commemorate a significant event in their lives.

In the past, Muong and Kinh shared residences in Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, and Phu Tho (three provinces in Northern Vietnam). Muong people, in contrast to the Kinh, construct their villages at the base of mountains or on the sides of hills. They are well known for the fermented rice wine known as Ruou Can, which is presented to prominent guests. The women are in charge of collecting water from neighboring rivers, transporting it inside a one-meter bamboo tube, and bringing it home where the entire family can enjoy it. The Muong have always held that as long as both parties voluntarily agree, young people can fall in love with and marry anyone. The Muong have their own calendar that is not dependent on either the Sun or the Moon, which is another distinguishing characteristic of this ethnic group. They also have a bamboo calendar with twelve months.

The Kinh and Muong came together to form the ancestors of the Tho. As a result, they share a lot of traditions with these two ethnic groups. They utilize the Kinh alphabet since they lack a written language of their own. They both share the same idea regarding the white scarf used by the Muong. Some communities believe that wearing a scarf around your forehead indicates that a member of your family has recently passed away, despite the fact that others view it as a lovely accessory.

Chut stands out from the others in this group significantly. They are a small minority in Quang Binh Province's highland regions, numbering only about 6,000. They have been there for at least 500 years, according to some historical records. Their primary sources of food are gathering fruits and vegetables and hunting, thus they are highly skilled at scaling trees to get honey. Women of the Chut ethnic group must stand while giving birth to their children alone, which is an odd custom.

Tay - Thai Group

In this group, there are eight different races. They have a common ancestor, similar traditions, and some cultural influences. Some ethnic groups, including Bo Y, Giay, Nung, and San Chay, emigrated from China between 150 and 400 years ago, and their ancestors were expert workers in wet rice fields. They are unable to enhance their advantages, however, because they are confined to the highlands of Vietnam's Northern East and Northern West. Instead, corn is grown as the primary food. Bo Y and Giay ethnic communities distinguish between classes. The lower class must perform manual labor and give the upper class taxes. Since there are numerous ideas that encourage people to imagine themselves as wealthy people, the wealthy have a lot of power. For instance, when a person passes away, their loved ones often hold the belief that the larger the funeral, the greater the likelihood that the deceased would enter heaven, as opposed to being condemned to hell and being reborn as an animal. Only wealthy families can, regrettably, afford such funerals.

The Tay-Thai ethnic group, including the Nung ethnic group, has its unique perspective on marriage. While boys and girls can spend time together, a wedding cannot take place until both families have given their approval. Based on their ancestry and horoscopes, their parents would decide whether or not they could become husband and wife. The Nung also follow a peculiar tradition. Although they observe New Year's Eve on January 1st like certain Western nations, they observe the Lunar Calendar like other cultures.

Two ethnic groups with a long history in Vietnam are the Lu and Tay. They both reside in Vietnam's Northern area and have brocade weaving skills. Despite inhabiting lowlands, the Lu ethnic group favors fish over red meat. Dishes with pork and beef are only available on significant holidays.

The final two ethnic groups in this category are Thai and Lao, which are also present in other Southeast Asian nations other than Vietnam. Thais are also of Chinese descent, but because they live in various geographical regions, their culture is very different from that of Bo Y and Giay. They eat glutinous rice rather than corn as their staple meal as evidence. In Thai societies, it is customary for the son-in-law to live with his wife's family for 8–12 years before moving in with his large family. In the Sanskrit language system, they have their own alphabet. Lao shares several characteristics with Thai people because they are of the same race. Along with Kinh, Muong, and Khmer, Tay and Thai are among the top 5 most populous Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Mon-Khmer Group

21 ethnic groups make up the Mon-Khmer group. The majority of them have made Tay Nguyen, in Vietnam's Western Highlands, or the Northwest, their permanent residences. With a population of 220,000, this group's largest and most significant ethnicity. In addition, just 300 to 400 members of some organizations, such as O-du or Ro-Mam, are left. Their infrequently used alphabet currently adopts the Latin script. There would be a village head known as "gia lang," the most powerful guy, in each of their settlements. There are still some traces of the matriarchy that once existed today.

Each group also has unique, intriguing traits of its own. Both Bru-Van Kieu sexes take pleasure in their bare midriffs. The traditional attire of the Xinh Mun, Mang, Kho Mu, and Khang is the same as that of the Kinh or the Thai. Along with those ethnic groups, the Co-ho, Co-tu, Gie-trieng, Xo-dang, X-tieng, Ta Oi, Hre, Ma, and M'nong also live in that area.

An unusual ethnic group is the Khmer. They had a significant impact on the culture and way of life of the Mekong Delta region before the 12th century. They have fishing, weaving, sugar production, and pottery-making traditions. Every adult Khmer boy is required to spend three to five years living in pagodas learning the Khmer language and the Buddhist religion.

There are notable practices shared by the remainder of this group. The Cho-ro ethnic group, which originated in southern Indochina and today resides in the province of Dong Nai, enables the ladies to propose, which is uncommon in patriarchal Vietnam. The Co. is the final one. The Co ethnicity is used to just enjoying minor ceremonies, although other ethnicities frequently demand a lavish wedding to demonstrate the value of the bride.

Mong-Dao Group

This group includes three different ethnicities: Mong, Dao, and Pa Then. They all came from China and settled in Vietnam over the course of several centuries. They currently reside close to the Vietnam-China border in the Northern Highlands. The kermis, a place where anybody can exchange the things they manufacture, is a symbol of the culture of the Mong people. This location is credited with being the beginning of many love tales because it serves as a hub for young people to meet new people and hang out. Since each ancestry has its own worshiping rituals, even though there are more than a million individuals who identify as Mong, they may still identify their family. Due to their agrarian calendar, they celebrate the New Year one month earlier than the Kinh. Although it is not particularly common, they have their own writing system based on the Vietnamese alphabet.

Dao and Pa Then people, however, study the Nom character, the ancient Vietnamese writing system that was arranged from the Chinese one, or the Han character, the Chinese writing system. In their writings, letters, and poetry, they make use of these characters. Although the three groups practice diverse traditions, they all wear bright clothing and silver accouterments.

Kadai group

La Chi, La Ha, Co Lao, and Pu Peo are four of the minority groups that reside in Vietnam's most northern provinces. Blackening teeth was once a popular practice among the La Chi and La Ha ethnic groups because they saw it as a sign of beauty. They feel more attractive about themselves when their teeth become darker. As a sign of maturity, some young people in La Chi also wear golden teeth. Three generations of a family typically reside in the same home in La Chi. The La Ha have much to learn from Thai culture because they share the same geographic areas as the Thai. They even use the Thai calendar and the Thai alphabet. Their women, unlike those of other tribes, do not know how to weave, therefore they must trade cotton plants for clothing.

Compared to the other three groups, Co Lao is very unique. While the others had lived in the area for a long time, they arrived in Vietnam 200 years ago after leaving China. They no longer speak their native tongue at this moment. Instead, they become used to their neighbors' languages, such as the Pu Peo or the Mong. They have experience using fertilizers to increase the productivity of their lands. The Pu Peo ethnic group has unique conceptions about childbirth. Only five days after a child's birth would parents give them a name. The fathers are unable to leave their homes in the interim. They are occasionally permitted to leave the house wearing hats.

Austro - Polynesiangroup

The Central Highlands and Central Coast of Vietnam have long been home to the ethnicities that make up this group. Their civilizations, in contrast to those of other Vietnamese ethnic groups, are matriarchal, which implies that the youngest daughter would inherit the role of a matriarch and that children would take on their mothers' last names. The role of male members has, nevertheless, become more respectable in recent decades. Their traditional knowledge is only passed down orally. They have certain writing systems based on the Sanskrit scheme and the Latin alphabet. Nowadays, children learn Vietnamese at school. The minority members of this group are Cham, Gia Rai, E de, Raglai, and Chu Ru.

India has greatly affected the wonderful culture of the Cham ethnic group. In several coastal provinces, there exist some ancient temples of Islamic architecture that were constructed by their ancestors. The Chu Ru are thought to have once belonged to the Cham race. They left the previous village and relocated to dwell in the mountains, forming a new group. Both the Gia Rai and the Ede have an ear-piercing tradition. Some of the ladies in these tribes are able to wear ivory earrings with a 3 centimeter radius. For boys and girls who reach puberty, the Gia Rai also hold a ceremony in which their molar teeth are cut out. The Raglai ethnic group holds fervent supernatural beliefs. They believe that there is a country reserved for gods and that they will never find it. These ideas led to the gradual officialization of the shaman as a profession within their societies.

Chinese group

Three of the individuals in this group are of Chinese descent: the Hoa, which is the most populous, the Ngai, and the San Diu. However, most of them today are not as proficient in using Chinese as they formerly were. They adhere to patriarchy, in contrast to the Austro-Polynesian group. More than 820,000 members of the Hoa ethnic group live throughout Vietnam and still adhere to many local customs. Their attitudes and actions are strongly influenced by Confucianism and Taoism.

They are conveniently located in Chinatown in Ho Chi Minh City. Since they have sound business judgment, they create food stalls or operate as shopkeepers at neighborhood markets. Their food is unique because the chefs ensure that it is not only nourishing but also aids in balancing the Yin and Yang in your body. Some of their local drinks also include herbs that make you feel refreshed. They place a strong priority on the family, seeing it as the cornerstone for the growth of each member, which is also a Vietnamese tradition. But only the Northern or Western-North region of Vietnam is home to the San Diu and the Ngai. Their traditions today resemble one of their nearest neighbors, the Kinh, because they coexist with individuals from different communities.

Tibeto group

The Mong - Dao group and the Kadai group share the same territories as the six ethnic groups that make up the Tibeto group. Because of this, these ethnic groups share a lot of commonalities. Their calendar is one of the most important variances. Two ethnic minorities in this category, the Cong and Si La, are Laotian immigrants who follow the lunar calendar. The other four ethnic groups each have unique practices. There are only eleven months in a year according to the Lo Lo, and each one is symbolized by an animal. The Phu La and Ha Nhi calendars are not documented in writing. Their New Year's Eve falls in February and October, respectively, is all we know. The La Hu are the last ethnic group and they think that the hats they receive at birth may keep their souls.

In conlcusion, Vietnam is a multicultural nation with a diversified ethnic population. The two traits of kindness and hospitality, however, are present all over this nation. To understand more about these lovely ethnic groups, visit the Vietnam Ethnology Museum in Hanoi. Visit our Vietnam blogs to find out more about the Vietnamese people, Vietnamese culture, and other fascinating information.