Who are the Co Lao people and how are their names recorded?
Co Lao is the self-name of this ethnic group and also the official name in the list of Vietnam's ethnic groups. According to the list of 54 ethnic groups published by the State, the Co Lao have other names including Tu Du, Ho Ki, and Voa De, and consist of three local groups: Green Co Lao, White Co Lao, and Red Co Lao. It is important to distinguish clearly: Green Co Lao, White Co Lao, and Red Co Lao are local groups within the same Co Lao ethnic group, not three separate ethnic groups.
According to the Survey of 53 Ethnic Minorities on April 1, 2019, the Co Lao numbered 4,003 people. Earlier, the 2009 Population and Housing Census recorded 2,636 people. These two figures reflect two different survey points, not a substantive contradiction.
Historically, the Co Lao migrated to Vietnam about 150 to 200 years ago. This is an ethnic group with a small population, concentrated in residence, so their cultural features are tied closely to specific localities rather than widely dispersed.
Where do the Co Lao live?
The Co Lao live mainly in Ha Giang, gathered in villages of about 15 to 20 households. The specific area includes two different terrain zones: the earthen mountain area in Hoang Su Phi district and the karst mountain area in Dong Van district. According to the list of 54 ethnic groups, the residence area of the Co Lao is recorded as Ha Giang.
Differences in terrain lead to differences in livelihood. Those living in the high karst mountain area mainly do slash-and-burn farming and rock-hole cultivation, with corn as the main food crop. On the fields, they also grow horse-tooth beans, barley, peas, and kohlrabi. Those living in the earthen mountain area specialize in terraced fields, with rice as the main food crop.
Regarding housing, the Co Lao build three-room houses with two side rooms, roofs covered with thatch or bamboo pipes split in half and arranged face up and face down. The Red Co Lao in particular build rammed-earth houses in the style of their Pu Peo neighbors.
| Local group | Recorded area | Distinctive features noted by sources |
|---|---|---|
| Red Co Lao | Ha Giang | Build rammed-earth houses like the Pu Peo; custom of arranging stones around graves, adding one stone ring for every 10 years of age; the bride sleeps at the groom's house only on the wedding night |
| White Co Lao | Ha Giang | Formerly wore an extra short-sleeved shirt over the long shirt to show the patch on the sleeve of the inner shirt |
| Green Co Lao | Ha Giang | The groom wears a blue long shirt and wraps a red scarf across his body; the làm chay ceremony can be held on the burial day or several years later |
Which language group does Co Lao belong to and how is it used today?
Co Lao belongs to the Ka Dai language group, together with La Ha, La Chi, and Pu Peo, in the Thai-Ka Dai language family. This information is consistently recorded in sources about this ethnic group.
The notable point is that language shift has occurred quite deeply. Previously the Co Lao local groups had different dialects, but today most Red Co Lao and Green Co Lao no longer speak their mother tongue. Depending on contact and co-residence, they are accustomed to using Quan Hoa, Nung, or Pu Peo and Mong.
Regarding writing and education, Chinese characters are commonly used in worship rituals. Today, Co Lao students, like students of other ethnic groups nationwide, learn Vietnamese and the national script.
What do the Co Lao worship?
The Co Lao believe each person has three souls. Not only humans, but rice, corn, and livestock also have souls. This is a point to note when studying the belief system of this ethnic group: the concept of the soul is not limited to humans but extends to crops and livestock, tied to agricultural life.
Rice souls are distinguished into father rice soul, mother rice soul, wife rice soul, and husband rice soul, and are worshipped after each harvest, along with worship on the Tet of the 5th day of the 5th month. Classifying rice souls by family roles shows that agricultural beliefs here are organized according to family relationships.
Regarding worship, ancestors are worshipped for three or four generations. The earth god is an important deity, worshipped by both the family and the whole village. In addition, in the naming ceremony for children, ancestors and the Ghi Trenh spirit, the protector of children, are worshipped. According to custom, the maternal grandmother names the child and gives gifts.
One point to note about interpretation: sources describe these as traditional belief practices of the community. Recording these practices is cultural documentation, without asserting or denying their spiritual efficacy.
What festivals and Tet occasions do the Co Lao have?
The Co Lao celebrate Tet Nguyen Dan, Tet on the 3rd day of the 3rd month, the 5th day of the 5th month, the 15th day of the 7th month, and the 9th day of the 9th month of the lunar calendar, like many ethnic groups in northeastern Vietnam. This is a system of lunar calendar festival points, with Tet Nguyen Dan being the largest.
During these festivals, rituals tied to rice souls have a separate role. As mentioned, rice souls are worshipped after each harvest and on the Tet of the 5th day of the 5th month. Thus, the 5th day of the 5th month is both a lunar Tet point and an occasion for worshipping rice souls.
Besides calendar-based festivals, the Co Lao also have life-cycle rituals tied to marriage, childbirth, and funerals, and these rituals are also communal, not only familial.
What is special about wedding rituals?
Wedding customs differ among Co Lao local groups. The Green Co Lao groom wears a blue long shirt and wraps a red scarf across his body. When the bride reaches the gate, she must step on and break a bowl and a wooden ladle placed beforehand at the gate. The Red Co Lao bride sleeps at the groom's house only on the wedding night. Sources also record that the custom of pulling or capturing a wife, as with the Mong, still often occurs.
How are childbirth and naming rituals conducted?
The Co Lao do not have the custom of burying or hanging the placenta on a tree, but usually burn it and put the ashes into a rock cavity in the forest. Boys are named after 3 days and 3 nights, girls after 2 days and 3 nights. In some places, children are named at full month. In the naming ceremony, ancestors and the Ghi Trenh spirit are worshipped, and according to custom, the maternal grandmother names the child and gives gifts.
What notable customs are there in funerals?
In funerals, the Co Lao have the custom of doing the funeral twice, including the burial ceremony and the làm chay ceremony. Among the Green Co Lao, the làm chay ceremony can be held on the burial day or a few years later. The deceased are worshipped and their souls sent back to Chan San, the ancient homeland. The Red Co Lao have the custom of arranging stones around graves, adding one stone ring for every 10 years of age; the age rings are covered with soil, and on top another stone ring is added.
What is notable about Co Lao clothing and material life?
Co Lao women wear shirts of the same type as the Nung and Giay, but longer than the knee, decorated with patches on the hem, chest, and sleeves. Previously, White Co Lao and Green Co Lao also wore a short-sleeved shirt outside the long shirt to show the colored patches on the inner sleeves, with legs wrapped in leggings. Today, the inner long-sleeved shirt is still used, while the outer short-sleeved shirt has become rarer.
Regarding food, depending on the place, the Co Lao eat corn ground into men men flour or eat rice, and are accustomed to using wooden bowls, spoons, and ladles.
Regarding crafts, the traditional craft is basketry, including winnowing trays, baskets, mats, and screens, and woodwork such as tables, chests, horse saddles, coffins, and wooden containers. Many villages have blacksmiths repairing farm tools. In farming, the Co Lao traditionally use manure and ash fertilizer and have much experience using fertilizer on fields; ash fertilizer is applied to each hole when planting corn.
Regarding transport, using horses to carry goods is a common means. The Co Lao are accustomed to using a carrying basket woven from giang with two shoulder straps. Daily they must carry water home; in the earthen mountain area, they use bamboo conduits to bring water right to or near the house.
How are Co Lao social relations and clans organized?
Each Co Lao group usually has different clans. The clans recorded by sources include: Van, Ho, Senh, and Chao for the White Co Lao; Min, Cao, and Su Ly for the Red Co Lao; and Sang for the Green Co Lao.
The small patrilineal family is the common form. If a family has no son, they often take a son-in-law to live in the house. The son-in-law keeps his own surname but has the right to inherit the wife's family property, and has an altar for his own ancestors along with an altar for his wife's parents. This is an arrangement showing that inheritance and worship are handled flexibly when there is no son, rather than simply following a fixed model.
What to note when researching the Co Lao people
When comparing sources, there are a few differences to identify correctly. First, population figures differ between surveys: 2,636 people in the 2009 Census and 4,003 people in the 2019 Survey of 53 Ethnic Minorities. These are two different time points, not two contradictory counting methods.
Second, the names of local groups and other names are consistently recorded across sources: the self-name is Co Lao; other names include Tu Du, Ho Ki, and Voa De; local groups include Green Co Lao, White Co Lao, and Red Co Lao.
Third, cultural features such as wedding customs, funeral customs, and naming methods are all recorded by sources as differing among local groups. Therefore, one should not attribute a custom of one group to the entire Co Lao ethnic group. The accurate way is to state clearly which group the custom belongs to, in which area, and according to which source.
Fourth, the fact that most Red Co Lao and Green Co Lao no longer speak their mother tongue is a recorded reality, reflecting long contact and co-residence with neighboring ethnic groups. This is a language shift phenomenon, not a loss of culture in an evaluative sense. Belief practices, festivals, and life-cycle rituals are still maintained alongside the use of the national language in daily life.
