The Overview Of 54 Ethnic Groups In Vietnam

The presence of ethnic groups today in Vietnam is the result of a long history of immigration. Ethnic groups arose in a certain place of origin, but for some reason they had to migrate, migrate to neighboring areas, thereby forming the distribution of ethnic groups in the territory of Vietnam. 

I. How many ethnic groups are there in vietnam?

Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups currently living across the country. These are listed below:

The most common way to identify them is by their language and clothing. There are many ethnic groups with different languages, but their ancient origins share a common ancestor, a group of people who speak the same language. The closer the ethnic groups are, the more similar their languages are.

II. Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups

Vietnam is the homeland of several ethnic groups. Together, ethnic groups and the children of Lac Long Quan - Au Co expanded the mountains and rivers "Three mountains, four seas, the best for the land," with mighty mountains and forests, immense plains, and the Eastern Sea with four waving seasons; the territory connected from Peak Lung Cu (North) to Rach Tau Village (South), from Truong Village (East) to Rach Tau Village (West) (East).

Ethnic groups with a long history in the nation have a history of patriotism and cooperation in overcoming societal conflicts and nature throughout the foundation, establishment, and development of the nation.

In line with the natural circumstances for production, existence, and development of each ethnic group, the history of natural conquest is viewed as an epic, reflecting the creation and fierce vigor, surmounting all difficulties. Varying ethnic groups have looked for various methods of nature therapy due to different natural geographic situations (geomorphology, terrain, climate).

1. Viet Or Kinh People

The vast majority of Vietnam's minorities are concentrated in the Central Highlands, the Northern Highlands, and the mountainous areas down the Truong Son mountain range. In recent wars, there was intense fighting in all of these places. Today's international borders are crossed by a number of groups, which stretch throughout the Indochinese peninsula and up into Southern China.

Kinh people in Ao Dai - Source: Google.com

Many of these people, some of whom were already living in the region before the progenitors of the Viet arrived from Southern China around four to five thousand years ago, had obscure origins. From among the different indigenous groups residing near the Red River Delta, the Viet eventually developed as a unique group and then slowly absorbed smaller settlements until they took over as the dominant culture.

The Viet people continued to contact other groups, but they either decided to remain independent in the highlands or were compelled to leave the densely populated coastal plains and go up into the hills. According to Vietnamese myth, this basic division between lowlanders and highlanders was caused by the union of the Dragon King of the South with the stunning northern princess Au Co. Initially, the couple lived in the highlands where Au Co gave birth to a hundred strong, lovely males. After some time, though, the Dragon King began to miss his lowland residence near the river and left with half of his sons, leaving the remaining fifty in the mountains, where they are now known as the ethnic minority.

2. Highlanders

The remainder of Vietnam's population, or 10% of the country's total, is predominantly located in the high country, as opposed to the ethnic Vietnamese and Chinese, who are concentrated in urban areas and coastal regions. While many of the tribes in the Central Highlands and the south can be difficult to distinguish, at least by dress alone, from ordinary Vietnamese, the most colorful of the hill tribes are unquestionably found in the Northwest and Northeast, in the lush mountain territory along the Lao and Chinese borders.

Highlanders - Source: Google.com

They were referred to as Montagnards by the French, who still refer to them as Highlanders or mountain people when speaking French or English. While some have relocated to the area over the past few centuries, others have lived in Vietnam for thousands of years.

Each group's territory is frequently defined by altitude, with later settlers residing at greater altitudes. The majority of the many ethnic groups have fundamental, comparable characteristics in daily life, and are frequently best distinguished by variations in language, physical characteristics, and traditional attire. They lead rural, agrarian lifestyles, share features of traditional rites and village architecture, and have a long history of inter-tribal conflict. Many of the tribes are semi-nomadic and use destructive slash-and-burn farming techniques to grow crops like "dry" rice, which has had a negative impact on the ecology.

• - Deforestation

The government has been attempting to push people to adopt more established agriculture, frequently at lower altitudes, with wet (paddy) rice and cash crops like tea, coffee, and cinnamon because such practices harm the rapidly diminishing forests. However, despite the appeal of advantages like subsidized irrigation, higher education, and health care, many people stay away from the lowlands due to a long history of nonconformist views and a strong mistrust of the ethnic Vietnamese majority that inhabit them.

• - Western influence

The rich, native culture of so many of Vietnam's ethnic minorities has gradually given way to a variety of foreign influences, as is the situation in other parts of Asia. Few tribes still wear traditional clothing since many have become so ingrained in Vietnamese society. The vast majority of these people live in the isolated villages in the far north, and even there, it's usually just the women who dress like this; the men have frequently adopted Vietnamese or Western-style clothing. While innovations like the development of electricity, contemporary medicine, and improved educational opportunities may have benefits, sadly, this progress has resulted in the loss of many long-standing customs.

• - 54 Ethnic Groups in Vietnam Are Affected by Tourism

The impact of tourism is a more recent, and possibly equally dangerous, outside influence. Growing exposure to lowlanders and a drive toward commercialism will probably make things worse as more tourists travel to view the various ethnic minorities. In some places, like Sapa and Bac Ha, cute kids who used to only stare, laugh, or flee at the sight of a foreigner have started to warm up and frequently anticipate gifts of cash or candy.

• - Group classification

The Montagnards are traditionally divided into three primary divisions by language differentiation according to ethnologists (which further splinter into vast and complex sub-groupings).

The Viet-Muong, Mon-Khmer, Tay-Thai, and Meo-Dzao language families are all members of the Austro-Asian language family.

Actually, the Malayo-Polynesian-speaking Austronesian family, which is connected to Indonesians and Pacific Islanders, is restricted to the central highlands and is thought to have been the region's first settlers.

The Sino-Tibetan language family includes the Chinese and Tibeto-Burmese language families, which originated in southern China and later moved south to colonize various regions of the Vietnamese uplands. Furthermore, there are frequently countless different dialectical varieties even within a single spoken language.

The highland groups are different from the Viet people due to a number of similarities among them that outweigh their differences in origins, languages, dialects, and traditional dress. The most prominent example is the stilt home, which offers safe stalling for domestic animals as well as defense against snakes, rats, and larger animals as well as floods. Most highland tribes enjoy drinking rice wine together as a group and participating in rituals like delaying the naming of a child to protect it from evil spirits. The majority of Highlanders still engage in swidden farming, which entails removing small plots of forest land, farming the burned-over fields for a few years, and then leaving them fallow until they regain their fertility. A semi-nomadic lifestyle is practiced in areas with extremely low soils, moving the village location as needed at regular intervals.

3. Other than the Kinh group, Vietnam has large ethnic groups

• - The Thai Minority

The Thai Minority - Source: Google.com

The Thai people make up the second-largest ethnic group in Vietnam, and their brocade is renowned for its distinctive, vibrant, and long-lasting designs. While Thai women continue to wear their traditional clothing, including short vests, long skirts, scarves, and decorations, Thai men have recently adopted the Kinh's style of attire. While the White Thai are predominantly located in northern Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces, the Black Thai are centered in Son La and southern Lai Chau provinces. The typical Thai outfit consists of a long, black skirt, a colored shirt (typically green, blue, pink, or purple), and a headscarf that is usually highly embroidered and quite recognizable in black. Many Thai people may be found in the village of Mai Chau, which is close to Hoa Binh, however they only dress in their traditional attire when entertaining tourists with dance performances.

• - The Nung Minority

Today, Nung populations are primarily found in the provinces of Cao Bang and Lang Son, while they have also settled in some areas of the provinces of Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Bac Can, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, and Ha Bac. Both sexes wear a basic indigo vest and pants that are frequently accessorized with colored belts and worn with a black turban that is covered by a white or colored scarf as part of the Nung people's traditional attire. There are numerous outfit variations, though. The Nung An sub ethnicity has only ever populated the area to Cao Bang's northeast. Their distinguishing attire is a simple black tunic and matching black pants. The neck of the tunic is embellished with thin bands of alternate blue/white and/or multicolored embroidery that are buttoned at the right shoulder. Bands of colorful blue in the front and white with black designs at the back may be seen at the cuffs. A white belt with black designs, like the ones on the cuffs, is frequently worn around the waist. Normally, the outfit is worn with a white or occasionally a blue headscarf, but rarely, a white scarf is wrapped around the head and a blue scarf is layered on top of it. The Cao Loc region, east of town, is where the Nung Phan Sinh of Lang Son province are primarily based. The outfit consists of plain black pants and a plain shirt with right armpit buttons, all of which have thin white or floral fabric bands around their edges. Also worn is a little white turban with vertical black and white, or colored, stripes sewn on it.

• - The Giay Minority

The Giay are relatively dispersed and may be found in Lai Chau, which is close to Tam Duong, as well as the Dong Van and Yen Minh districts in the province of Ha Giang. In the provinces of Lao Cai and Lai Chau, a lady wears black pants and a colored blouse (light or dark pink, light or dark blue, green or white) that is embellished with a wide band of variously colored material that wraps around the collar and ends in a clasp under the right armpit. The uniformly observed patterned head scarf is typically used with the look.

• - The Lu Minority

The Tay-Thai linguistic group's Lu ethnicity has existed for a very long time. With a little under 4,000 people, they are Vietnam's 40th-largest ethnic group. Their distinctive black scarf with a silver striped design and vibrant tassels is one of the most remarkable pieces of traditional apparel in northern Vietnam. The women who smile will frequently display a magnificent row of stained teeth to you. In the province of Lai Chau, they are now primarily concentrated between Sin Ho and Binh Lu..

• - The Tu Di Minority

One of the two ethnic minorities that make up the Bo Y is the Tu Di. The Bo Y themselves, the other group, reside in Ha Giang Province's Quan Ba District. The Tu Di women of Muong Khuong have adopted a style of dress similar to that of their Phi La neighbors, and they now wear black trousers and a shirt of black and blue material with an eye-catching front panel embellished with pieces of colored material, patches of embroidery, and silver chains. The shirt buttons under the right armpit and has concentric rings of colored material around the upper sleeves and cuffs. At the top of the head, the hair is pulled back into a bun and covered by black embroidery and a turban.

• - The Pa Di Minority

A Tay sub-ethnicity known as the Pa Di is only present in Lao Cai's Muong Khuong District. Their unusual headgear, which consists of a stiff black hat in the shape of a pyramid surrounded in a studded ornate headband, immediately identifies them. The Pa Di women dress similarly to their Thu Lao relatives, with a black skirt, a black shirt that buttons under the right armpit, and a black apron. However, the Pa Di women's black shirt has a blue border, and their lower sleeves have blue and white rings and the collar has studded decorative patterns.

• - The Tay Minority

With well over 1,200,000 people, the Tay are Vietnam's biggest single ethnic minority. Since they dress so much like contemporary Viet Kinh, they are frequently difficult to identify. They typically dress in costumes that include black pants and shirts that are buttoned under the right armpit and have characteristic blue material rings at the lower sleeves at this location.