People of Vietnam

Visit any of the hill tribes and the variety of different ethnicities and cultures that make up Vietnam becomes readily apparent. The country has 54 ethnic groups recognized by the government, from the majority Khin—who make up more than 85% of the population—to the tiny Brau group, who are believed to number fewer than 300.

The Khin tend to live in urban areas and, socioeconomically, are at the top. The ethnic minority groups, however—especially the smallest—face a number of problems. These include lack of access to adequate education, health care, and public services. Without education, these groups—in particular those living in remote, mountainous regions with agrarian economies—are unable to acquire knowledge and increase production. Though there are government programs aimed at improving the lives of Vietnam’s rural minorities, they are not very effective, and many live below the poverty line. For some ethnic minority groups, such as those in the hill tribes around Sapa, tourism has provided a major boon to the economy.

Many travelers in Vietnam make time for a motorbike trip into the mountains to visit local villages and get a glimpse of ethnic life. If you can’t make it to the hill-tribe villages, the next best thing is a visit to Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi. The fantastic exhibits showcase more than 15,000 artifacts, including photographs and objects including costumes, musical instruments, weapons, and hunting implements. On the museum’s grounds are reconstructed homes from a dozen ethnic groups that visitors are welcome to explore. What follows is an overview of some of the groups you may see on your travels.

Kinh (Population: about 85,000,000) The Kinh originated from what is now southern China and northern Vietnam, and the Kinh living over the border in China are known as the Gin. The group originally settled in the deltas and coastal regions, both working in agriculture and eventually moving into industry. Today the highest concentrations of Kinh are in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. You’re unlikely to be able to recognize any Kinh by their outfits as they live in urban centers and dress just as in the West. Vietnam’s majority ethnic group speaks standard Vietnamese.

Tay (Population: about 1,900,000) The country’s second largest ethnic group makes up just 2% of the population. The Tay tend to live in Quang Ninh province, home to Halong Bay, and in Sapa, in Lao Cai province. Traditionally, the Tay society was an agrarian one, with most Tay living in fertile areas and growing rice and corn. Today, many Tay have intermarried and live in ethnically mixed villages or in towns. The group speaks Tay, a Tai language that includes standard Thai and Laotian. Traditional clothing is made from homegrown cotton, dyed with indigo, and usually without embroidery or embellishments. Women wear skirts or trousers.

Muong (Population: about 1,400,000) It’s believed that the Muong are the most closely related to the ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh). They reside in northern Vietnam’s mountainous regions, in Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces. Far from the Chinese border and high in the mountains, the Muong were not influenced by the Chinese as other ethnic minority groups were. The economy is agrarian and the Muong attend markets and trade goods. The group speaks Muong, closely related to Vietnamese. Women generally wear a plain white fabric headscarf, short blouses, usually with small side slits, ankle-length skirts with an embroidered floral border, and silver key chains hanging from the waist.

Khmer Krom (Population: 1,200,000) These are the indigenous Khmer (present day Cambodians) who live along the southern Mekong Delta. The group takes its name from the Khmer word “krom,” which means “below,” implying south of Cambodia. The area where the Khmer Krom live is not technically a disputed territory—it’s considered Vietnam—but there are associations of exiled Khmer Krom who want self-determination for the Khmer Krom in Vietnam. The clothing worn in public by most Khmer Krom is unlikely to give them away; women are usually in a simple blouse and sampot (a long rectangular cloth worn as a skirt) and men wear shirts tucked into sarongs. Some Khmer Krom dress in Western clothing. Many practice Theravada Buddhism. They speak Vietnamese and Khmer, which differ from neighboring languages in that they aren’t tonal.

Hmong (Population: about 1,100,000) The Hmong group, also known as the Mong, live in the northern mountainous regions of Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos, and over the border in southern China, where the government has lumped them into the larger Miao ethnic group. Within Vietnam, the Hmong have several subgroups, including the Red, White, Flower, Striped, Green, and Black Hmong. The Hmong economy was traditionally agrarian, but an influx of tourists into places like Sapa has helped jumpstart tourism. The Hmong wear and produce beautiful textiles with intricate embroidery. In their colorful embroidered skirts and jackets, the Flower Hmong women are the most recognizable. Other Hmong generally wear black skirts or trousers, a black jacket with colorful trim, and sometimes a peaked black turban. Depending on the group, the outfit is accessorized with an embroidered belt or waistband. At Sapa Market, dozens of Hmong women gather to sell jewelry, handicrafts, and textiles. In doing so, they’ve changed the traditional Hmong family structure; no longer is the man the head of every household. The Hmong/Mong speak Hmong.

Gia Rai (Population: about 500,000) This group, also known as the Jarai, lives primarily in Vietnam’s Central Highlands (a few thousand live in Cambodia). The Gia Rai culture is matrilineal. It is an agricultural society, and the Gia Rai grow crops and raise pigs, chicken, buffaloes, oxen, and horses. Cloth and basket weaving are popular, and back baskets are often used to transport loads. The Gia Rai were originally animists (those who believe nonhuman entities have spirits), but visits by American missionaries have resulted in several thousand converts to Christianity. The Gia Rai speak Gia Rai, a Malayo-Polynesian language, as well as Vietnamese. Gia Rai men wear white or striped loin clothes (toai) and sometimes a short black jacket. Women dress in long indigo sarongs with designs on the hem and a long-sleeve black top with colorful sleeves.

Cham (Population: about 170,000) When the Ancient Kingdom of Champa was annexed by Vietnam, many Cham fled to present-day Hainan (China), Trengganu (Malaysia), and south to Cambodia. Today, the Cham in Vietnam live in the central part of the country, including in Ho Chi Minh City. Many are Hindu (compared to the Muslim Cham in Cambodia). In Vietnam, the group speaks Cham and Vietnamese. Most Cham living in urban centers dress in mostly Western clothing. Those who live in more rural areas wear a sarong, with men wearing a shirt on top and women wearing a form-fitting blouse. Both sexes use turbans or head wraps.