Image: DFID - UK Department for International Development / flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
TL;DR: The Cờ Lao are one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, with the self-name Cờ Lao, divided into three local groups: Green Cờ Lao, White Cờ Lao, and Red Cờ Lao, living mainly in Hà Giang. Their language belongs to the Ka Đai group, but most Red Cờ Lao and Green Cờ Lao no longer speak their mother tongue and commonly use Quan Hỏa, Nung, Pu Péo, or Mong instead. They believe each person has three souls, that rice and livestock also have souls, worship ancestors for three to four generations, the earth god, and the Ghi Trếnh spirit who protects children, and celebrate Tết Nguyên Dan along with 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.
Who are the Cờ Lao people and how are their names recorded?
Cờ 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 Cờ Lao have other names including Tứ Đư, Ho Ki, and Voa Đề, and consist of three local groups: Green Cờ Lao, White Cờ Lao, and Red Cờ Lao. It is important to distinguish clearly: Green Cờ Lao, White Cờ Lao, and Red Cờ Lao are local groups within the same Cờ Lao ethnic group, not three separate ethnic groups.
According to the Survey of 53 Ethnic Minorities on April 1, 2019, the Cờ 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 Cờ 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 Cờ Lao live?
The Cờ Lao live mainly in Hà Giang, gathered in villages of about 15 to 20 households. The specific area includes two different terrain zones: the earthen mountain area in Hoàng Su Phì district and the karst mountain area in Đồng Văn district. According to the list of 54 ethnic groups, the residence area of the Cờ Lao is recorded as Hà 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 Cờ 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 Cờ Lao in particular build rammed-earth houses in the style of their Pu Péo neighbors.
| Local group | Recorded area | Distinctive features noted by sources |
|---|---|---|
| Red Cờ Lao | Hà Giang | Build rammed-earth houses like the Pu Péo; 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 Cờ Lao | Hà Giang | Formerly wore an extra short-sleeved shirt over the long shirt to show the patch on the sleeve of the inner shirt |
| Green Cờ Lao | Hà 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 Cờ Lao belong to and how is it used today?
Cờ Lao belongs to the Ka Đai language group, together with La Ha, La Chí, and Pu Péo, 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 Cờ Lao local groups had different dialects, but today most Red Cờ Lao and Green Cờ Lao no longer speak their mother tongue. Depending on contact and co-residence, they are accustomed to using Quan Hỏa, Nung, or Pu Péo and Mong.
Regarding writing and education, Chinese characters are commonly used in worship rituals. Today, Cờ Lao students, like students of other ethnic groups nationwide, learn Vietnamese and the national script.
What do the Cờ Lao worship?
The Cờ 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 Trếnh 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 Cờ Lao have?
The Cờ Lao celebrate Tết Nguyên 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 Tết Nguyên 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 Cờ 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 Cờ Lao local groups. The Green Cờ 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 Cờ 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 Cờ 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 Trếnh 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 Cờ Lao have the custom of doing the funeral twice, including the burial ceremony and the làm chay ceremony. Among the Green Cờ 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 Cờ 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 Cờ Lao clothing and material life?
Cờ 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 Cờ Lao and Green Cờ 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 Cờ 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 Cờ 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 Cờ 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 Cờ Lao social relations and clans organized?
Each Cờ Lao group usually has different clans. The clans recorded by sources include: Van, Ho, Senh, and Chao for the White Cờ Lao; Min, Cao, and Sú Lý for the Red Cờ Lao; and Sang for the Green Cờ 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 Cờ 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 Cờ Lao; other names include Tứ Đư, Ho Ki, and Voa Đề; local groups include Green Cờ Lao, White Cờ Lao, and Red Cờ 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 Cờ 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 Cờ Lao and Green Cờ 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.
