The
Vietnamese, or Kinh, as they are known, are a lowland rice cultivating
people who shun the mountains to live near the sea. Despite their long
historical presence within their present borders, there are millions of
people who call Vietnam home before these borders existed.
These are the ethnic minorities, and account for up to 7 million of Vietnam’s 80 million strong population and their communities are increasingly becoming a stop on traveler’s itineraries to Vietnam. Like the popular trekking trips to the hilltribes in the north of Thailand, Vietnam is drawing these kinds of visitors in larger numbers, mainly due to the unspoiled nature of the villages and culture and easier access from the country’s major cities by both air and road.
There are 54 ethnic minorities in Vietnam, located in the Central Highlands, west of the South Central Coast, and the Far North near the Laotian and Chinese border. These groups don’t fit in the modern land borders of Indochina and straddle the countries here including southern China. Some of these groups, like the Thai, number over 1 million, while others like the Sedang, number less than 100,000. One group, the O-Du, have been reduced to less than 100. The popular French term, Montagnards, or mountain people, still is used to lump these people into one category. But the ethnic, cultural, and language diversity of these ethnic minorities is staggering in its richness. While their exact origins are unknown, these people have created a slash and burn way of life that does not destroy large tracts of land and have managed to survive malaria, annual monsoon flooding, and the ferocious wars that raged here in the mid 20th century. While in Hanoi, make sure to visit the Ethnographical Museum, newly opened with assistance from France. The museum shows weavings, basketry, costumes and other cultural artifacts from these people who make Vietnam the most ethnically diverse nation in South East Asia. A good three hours is needed to fully absorb the exhibits here.
The Montagnards are by linguistic classified into three main groups (which further break down into vast and complex sub-groupings). The Austro-Asian family includes the Viet Muong, Mon-Khmer, Tay-Tai and Meo-Dzao language groups; the Austronesian family, related to Indonesians and Pacific Islanders, were probably the earliest inhabitants of the area but are now restricted to the central highlands, speaking Malayo-Polynesian languages; and the Sino-Tibetan family encompasses the Chinese and Tibeto-Burmese language groups, originating in southern China and at different times migrated southwards to settle throughout the Vietnamese uplands.
Should you decide to visit the Central Highlands or the Far North make sure its in the dry season between late November and May; travel here during the rainy season can be a miserable experience of washed out roads, cancelled flights and shivering damp and cold. Excellent trekking, hiking and relaxing opportunities await you. The lives of these minority people is changing rapidly, as they begin to trade woven cloth and instruments from their daily lives to tourists. Sapa has rapidly become the unofficial capital of the hill tribe region, with its colorful markets and villages in quaint valleys. The pressure of tourism here is also at its greatest, because of its proximity to Hanoi. Here you will find the Thai (Black, Red and White) in abundance and lots of markets that serve as meeting points for friends.
Far more unspoiled is the Central Highlanlds, that stretch for 700 kilometers along the South China Sea, inland from the rice growing areas and coastal towns. The inhabitants here are from the Malayo Polynesian regions, and they still speak these languages today. Dalat is the most commercialized city here, but Buon Me Thuot is excellent for its elephant training center and lush waterfalls. Which ever region you choose to visit there’s lots to see when it comes to ancient culture, languages and all while breathing in cool clean mountain air.
These are the ethnic minorities, and account for up to 7 million of Vietnam’s 80 million strong population and their communities are increasingly becoming a stop on traveler’s itineraries to Vietnam. Like the popular trekking trips to the hilltribes in the north of Thailand, Vietnam is drawing these kinds of visitors in larger numbers, mainly due to the unspoiled nature of the villages and culture and easier access from the country’s major cities by both air and road.
There are 54 ethnic minorities in Vietnam, located in the Central Highlands, west of the South Central Coast, and the Far North near the Laotian and Chinese border. These groups don’t fit in the modern land borders of Indochina and straddle the countries here including southern China. Some of these groups, like the Thai, number over 1 million, while others like the Sedang, number less than 100,000. One group, the O-Du, have been reduced to less than 100. The popular French term, Montagnards, or mountain people, still is used to lump these people into one category. But the ethnic, cultural, and language diversity of these ethnic minorities is staggering in its richness. While their exact origins are unknown, these people have created a slash and burn way of life that does not destroy large tracts of land and have managed to survive malaria, annual monsoon flooding, and the ferocious wars that raged here in the mid 20th century. While in Hanoi, make sure to visit the Ethnographical Museum, newly opened with assistance from France. The museum shows weavings, basketry, costumes and other cultural artifacts from these people who make Vietnam the most ethnically diverse nation in South East Asia. A good three hours is needed to fully absorb the exhibits here.
The Montagnards are by linguistic classified into three main groups (which further break down into vast and complex sub-groupings). The Austro-Asian family includes the Viet Muong, Mon-Khmer, Tay-Tai and Meo-Dzao language groups; the Austronesian family, related to Indonesians and Pacific Islanders, were probably the earliest inhabitants of the area but are now restricted to the central highlands, speaking Malayo-Polynesian languages; and the Sino-Tibetan family encompasses the Chinese and Tibeto-Burmese language groups, originating in southern China and at different times migrated southwards to settle throughout the Vietnamese uplands.
Should you decide to visit the Central Highlands or the Far North make sure its in the dry season between late November and May; travel here during the rainy season can be a miserable experience of washed out roads, cancelled flights and shivering damp and cold. Excellent trekking, hiking and relaxing opportunities await you. The lives of these minority people is changing rapidly, as they begin to trade woven cloth and instruments from their daily lives to tourists. Sapa has rapidly become the unofficial capital of the hill tribe region, with its colorful markets and villages in quaint valleys. The pressure of tourism here is also at its greatest, because of its proximity to Hanoi. Here you will find the Thai (Black, Red and White) in abundance and lots of markets that serve as meeting points for friends.
Far more unspoiled is the Central Highlanlds, that stretch for 700 kilometers along the South China Sea, inland from the rice growing areas and coastal towns. The inhabitants here are from the Malayo Polynesian regions, and they still speak these languages today. Dalat is the most commercialized city here, but Buon Me Thuot is excellent for its elephant training center and lush waterfalls. Which ever region you choose to visit there’s lots to see when it comes to ancient culture, languages and all while breathing in cool clean mountain air.
