Vietnam's Community of 54 Ethnic Groups: Official List, Distribution and Shared Cultural Traits
Vietnam recognises 54 ethnic groups under the 1979 official list, with the Kinh majority and 53 minority groups spread across all regions.
Results for "ethnic minority"
Which branch of ethnic minority customs should one start with?
One can start with marriage, as this is the richest branch and clearly shows differences between marriage systems. Then study housing and architecture, followed by life-cycle rituals and beliefs, and finally customs tied to seasons and production.
From the article “What Makes the Customs of Vietnam's Ethnic Minorities So Distinctive?”
Muong Ethnic Wedding Customs
Explore the unique wedding customs of the Muong people in Thanh Hóa: from elopement and ancestor worship to bride-price negotiations and wedding day taboos.
Ba Na Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Ba Na live in Gia Lai, Kon Tum and western Bình Định, Phú Yên and Khánh Hoà, speak a Mon-Khmer language and keep many community festivals.
Tay Ethnic Wedding Customs: From Proposal Ceremony to Matrilocal Residence
Tay weddings move through proposal, engagement, Tet visit and the wedding, with the matrilocal custom of a bride staying with her mother until pregnancy.
The Sán Dìu Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Customs of Worship and Main Festivals
The Sán Dìu are one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, speaking a Guangdong Chinese dialect in the northern midlands, with distinctive worship customs.
Chicken Feet Divination at Tet: The Custom of Predicting Crop Fortune Among Ethnic Minorities
Chicken feet divination at Tet and the new rice ceremony of ethnic minorities aims to predict fate and crops for the new year.
Comparing Lunar New Year of the Kinh, Chôl Chnăm Thmay of the Khmer, and Ethnic Groups Celebrating New Year by Their Own Calendars
Comparing Lunar New Year of the Kinh, Chôl Chnăm Thmay of the Khmer, and ethnic groups with their own calendars: timing, offerings, rituals, and names.
The Pu Péo People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Pu Péo number 903 people as of 2019, living in Hà Giang and speaking a Ka Đai language. Learn their worship customs, weddings, funerals and Tet festivals.
The Lô Lô People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Lô Lô live in Hà Giang, Cao Bằng and Lào Cai, speak a Tibeto-Burman language, and are split into the Flowery Lô Lô and Black Lô Lô.
The Khơ Mú People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs, and Main Festivals
The Khơ Mú speak a Mon-Khmer language and live in Yên Bái, Sơn La, Lai Châu, Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An, worshipping five spirits.
The Phù Lá People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Phù Lá people include the Phù Lá Lão, Phù Lá Đen and Phù Lá Hán groups, living in Hà Giang, Lào Cai, Yên Bái and Lai Châu.
The Xinh Mun People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs, and Main Festivals
The Xinh Mun speak a Mon-Khmer language and live mainly in Sơn La and Lai Châu, with bridegroom service and two-generation ancestor worship.
The Brau People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Brau are one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, living mainly in Kon Tum. This article covers their language, worship customs, festivals and cultural life.
Tày Beliefs and Festivals: Then Singing, the Tính Lute, and the Lồng Tồng Festival
The Tày of Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn and Tuyên Quang keep Then singing, the tính lute, and the Lồng Tồng festival, a heritage UNESCO inscribed in 2019.
H'Mông Beliefs and Festivals: Animism, Khèn Masters, and the Gầu Tào Festival
H'Mông (Mông) animist beliefs in highland Vietnam, where khèn masters guide souls in funeral rites and the Gầu Tào festival honours children.
Unique Wedding Customs of the Red Dao People (Tả Phìn, Sa Pa)
Red Dao weddings in Tả Phìn, Sa Pa, have the bride walk to the groom's house alone, with days of rituals and a horn and drum team.
Wedding Customs of the Thai People (Sơn La)
The wedding customs of the Black Thai in Sơn La include free courtship, a trial groom service, and the Tằng cẩu hair-bunning rite.
Traditional Cuisine in the Cultural Festivals of the Chơ Ro People
Chơ Ro festivals use dishes like canh boi, com lam and five-color sticky rice as cultural symbols and a bridge for preserving identity.
What Makes Vietnamese Traditional Cuisine Distinctive Across Regions?
An overview of Vietnamese traditional cuisine by region: Tet dishes, ancestral trays, festivals, vegetarian food and local specialties, with cultural context.
Chu Ru people: where they live, their language, worship customs and main festivals
The Chu Ru are one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, living in Lâm Đồng and Ninh Thuận and speaking a Malayo-Polynesian language.
The Hre People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Hre live in western Quảng Ngãi and An Lão in Bình Định, speak a Mon-Khmer language and hold the buffalo sacrifice as their largest rite.
The La Chí People: Settlement, Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The La Chí people live mainly in Hà Giang, speak a Ka Đai language, keep a separate altar for each man in the house, and hold folk games during Tet.
What Makes the Customs of Vietnam's Ethnic Minorities So Distinctive?
Vietnam's ethnic minorities have their own marriage rites, house-building practices and worship, shaped by environment and indigenous beliefs.
The Lự People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs, and Main Festivals
The Lự people speak a Tày-Thái language and live mainly in Lai Châu, with worship customs and festivals tied to their own calendar.
How do Vietnamese and ethnic minority soul-calling and spirit-calling rituals work?
Soul-calling rites after illness, a fall, fright or a long journey: who performs them, the offerings, how the calling is done, and how ethnic groups differ.
Tay Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs, and Main Festivals
The Tay are Vietnam's largest ethnic minority. They live in northeastern valleys, speak a Tay-Thai language, worship ancestors, and hold long tong festivals.
The Ma Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Ma live in Lâm Đồng and Đồng Nai, speak a Mon-Khmer language with no script, worship Yang spirits and hold a buffalo sacrifice after harvest.
Thai Ethnic Group: Residence, Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
Vietnam's Thai ethnic group includes the Black and White branches, speaks the Tay-Thai language, lives in ban-muong villages, and worships ancestors.
Khmer Ethnic Group: Residence, Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Khmer (Khơ Me) numbered 1,319,652 in the 2019 survey, live mainly in the Mekong Delta, speak a Mon-Khmer language, and worship Buddha and ancestors.
The Legend of Sacred Forests in the Beliefs of the Pu Péo People
Explore the sacred forest beliefs of the Pu Péo, an ethnic minority in Hà Giang, to understand their culture, customs, and unique relationship with nature.
The Hoa (also called Han) ethnic group: residence, language, worship customs, and main festivals
The Hoa (Han) are one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups: where they live, their language, ancestor worship customs, and festivals like Tết Nguyên tieu.
The Lao Ethnic Group: Residence, Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Lao in Vietnam call themselves Thay and Thay Duồn, speak a Tay-Thai language, live in Điện Biên, Lai Châu and Sơn La, and keep ancestor altars.
The Bo Y Ethnic Group: Residence, Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Bo Y ethnic group includes the Bo Y and Tu Dí subgroups in Hà Giang and Lào Cai, with two language families and distinct worship and festival customs.
The Cong Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
Vietnam's Cong people live mainly in Lai Châu, speak a Tibeto-Burman language and keep ancestor worship and their own festivals.
Dao Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Dao are one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups. Where they live, their Hmong-Dao language, ancestor and Bàn Vương worship, and cap sac rites.
Muong Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Muong ethnic group speaks a Viet-Muong language and lives mainly in Hòa Bình, Thanh Hóa and Phú Thọ, with mo epics, festivals and worship customs.
The O Du Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The O Du people speak a Mon-Khmer language and live mainly in Tương Dương, Nghệ An, known for the thunder welcoming festival and the house spirit cult.
The Mong ethnic group (also called Meo, H'Mong): residence, language, worship customs, and main festivals
The Mong ethnic group (Meo, H'Mong) had 1,393,547 people in the 2019 census, including White, Flowered, Red, Black, and Green Mong subgroups.
The Mang Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Mang are one of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, living mainly in Lai Châu and speaking a Mon-Khmer language. Their worship customs and festivals are covered.
Xơ Đăng Ethnic Group: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Xơ Đăng include the Xơ Teng, Tơ Đrá, Mnam, Ca Dong, Ha Lăng, Tà Trĩ and Chau subgroups in Kon Tum, Quảng Nam and Quảng Ngãi, with worship of Kiak spirits.
Which ethnic groups in Vietnam celebrate their own New Year separately from Tết Nguyên Đán?
Which peoples in Vietnam keep their own New Year apart from Tết Nguyên Đán? The Mông, Hà Nhì, Khmer, Chăm and others, as reported in the press.
The Cơ Ho People: Where They Live, Their Language, Worship Customs and Main Festivals
The Cơ Ho live mainly in Lâm Đồng, speak a Mon-Khmer language, follow a matrilineal system and worship Yang and Cha spirits.
The Beauty of H'Mong Wedding Customs
H'Mong wedding customs form a complex chain of rituals led by a matchmaker, from the proposal to multi-day ceremonies with ritual songs and symbolic gifts.
Cham Wedding Customs in Southern Vietnam: Rituals, Meanings, and Transformations
Cham weddings in Southern Vietnam follow Islam through proposal and days of ceremony, with matchmakers, betel offerings, bride price and Quran recitation.
What Makes the Cống People's Rooster Comb Flower Festival in Điện Biên Special?
Tết Hoa mào gà is the biggest yearly festival of the Cống in Điện Biên; in Pa Thơm it falls near the full moon of the 10th lunar month. Rites and meaning.
Tô Hoài
Author of Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký, writer, journalist with a career spanning more than 60 years