- Of the ethnic groups who live in Ha Giang province, the Giay are clustered mainly in Tát Ngà hamlet, Mèo Vạc district. Recent socio-economic development has made their life easier but has not changed their traditional culture. The Giay still uphold the main elements of their customs and culture, including their traditional drum dancing festival.
A shaman performs a ritual to take the drum out for a New Year festival. (photo: daibieunhandan.vn)
https://vovworld.vn/en-US/colorful-vietnamvietnams-54-ethnic-groups/drum-dance-of-the-giay-851739.vov
- “Khau cut” is a crescent symbol often seen on the roofs of Thai ethnic minority people’s stilt houses in Vietnam’s northwestern region. Researchers say the symbolis associated with the Thai migration in the 11th century.
Photo: A Khau cut on the rooftop of a Black Thai stilt house
https://vovworld.vn/en-US/colorful-vietnamvietnams-54-ethnic-groups/khau-cut-a-symbol-of-thai-familys-status-833200.vov
The Tay in the northern border province of Quang Ninh have a vibrant cultural life with many customs, rituals, and festivals, such as the “Going to the field” festival at the beginning of the year, the Longevity ceremony, the Crop Worshiping ceremony, and the House Warming ceremony. They have several folk singing genres, including Lượn, phongslư, lượn slương, lượn then, and lượn tràng ới. At all festivals, ceremonies, and singing performances, a stringed musical instrument called a Tinh plays a prominent role.
Photo: Tay women sing Then and play the Tinh musical instrument.
https://vovworld.vn/en-US/colorful-vietnamvietnams-54-ethnic-groups/tinh-the-unique-musical-instrument-of-the-tay-ethnic-minority-831506.vov
Like other ethnic groups, the Dao in Vietnam’s northwestern region worship their ancestors devotedly.
Photo: Worship paintings on the altar of the Dao
https://vovworld.vn/en-US/colorful-vietnamvietnams-54-ethnic-groups/ancestral-worship-ritual-of-the-dao-829408.vov
The Thai ethnic minority in Vietnam are famous for their cuisine, particularly a type of grilled stream fish called “Pa pinh top”. Seasoned with special spices and cooked to perfection, “Pa pinh top” never fails to satisfy even the most demanding palates.
Photo: Herbs and spices needed to make Pa pinh top include coriander, green onion, dill, ginger, garlic, and chili, all chopped fine and mixed with salt.
The Giay in Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, have a rich culture that includes music and musical instrument. The Pi Le clarinet is a typical woodwind instrument of the Giay.
Expressing gratitude to the forests is an original tradition of the Co Tu in Tay Giang district, Quang Nam province. At the beginning of the year, the Co Tu organize rituals to pray for good luck and thank the forest for giving them life. It’s also the Co Tu promise to manage and protect forests.
The Co Tu ethnic minority people live mainly in the mountainous regions of Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue provinces and in the western end of Da Nang city in central Vietnam. After a harvest, when the grain has been transported to the storehouse, people leave their shacks in the fields to go home for New Year celebrations. Before the New Year festival, the Co Tu have a custom of visiting their daughter and her husband’s family.
The papoose is a popular accessory of Ede women wherever they go. They carry food, farm produce and wood to or from the fields or the market. H Xiu, VOV’s reporter in the Central Highlands reports.
- Ethnic groups and the administration of the mountain province of Lang Son have effectively preserved folk singing genres such as Then and Luon singing of the Tay, and Sli singing of the Nung. The Association for the Preservation of Folk Singing of ethnic groups in Lang Son has organized activities to promote folk arts and nurture talents.
Photo: Tay women sing Then songs and play Tinh musical instrument.
Xoang dance has been an inseparable part of Central Highlands culture. Whenever Central Highlanders hold a festival, they play gongs and do Xoang dancing.
Photo: Xoang dance is popular among ethnic groups in the Central Highlands.
- The indigo clothes of the Nung in Cao Bang province are distinguishable from others by their designs, which have very few decorations or embroidery. Nung clothing reflects their culture and customs.
(Photo: dantocmiennui.vn)
Indigo is a common plant in Vietnam’s northern provinces. Indigo plants are soaked in water, ground up, and sifted to produce indigo powder. Each dyer has their own formula for mixing the dye to create a distinctive deep blue color. Fabric is soaked in indigo dye for about 1 hour and dried in the sun. The process is repeated several times until the fabric has the desired color. Nung women make most of the clothes for themselves and other members of their family.
Luong Thi Xuan, a Nung woman in Quang Yen district, said: “Indigo cotton fabric is thick and not airy in summer but sun-proof when we work in the field. It’s very warm in winter if we wear double-layer pants.”
Nung women prefer silver jewelry. (Photo: dantocmiennui.vn)
The Nung say that since the old days their ancestors have been farmer, mostly growing rice on terraced fields. They dye their clothes with indigo to save time cleaning them and to harmonize with nature. Indigo dye makes the fabric more durable.
Nong Van Thang, a culture official in Phuc Sen commune, said: “They dye and make clothes by hand. Shamans always wear indigo clothes when they perform rituals. It’s a preservation of their traditions.”
Nung women wear loose pants and blouses with large sleeves and collages of brightly colored fabric on the hems and collar. The blouse buttons on the right side and has 4 pockets. Nung women love to wear silver jewelry and accessories such as embroidered bags, waist bands, and headbands. Nung men wear a simple indigo blouse and loose pants.
Many Nung women still weave fabric and make clothes manually. (Photo: dantocmiennui.vn)
“In the past we grew cotton, wove fabric, and made our own clothes. We still wear our traditional clothing for daily life, farm work, office work, and festivals. Wearing our traditional clothing is a way of preserving and promoting our culture,” said Nong Van Thang.
The authorities of Cao Bang province have launched programs to promote the traditional clothing of the Nung.
“We organize a biennial Fashion Contest among the Nung communities. Ethnic pupils at district’s boarding schools wear the traditional clothes of their group on the first day of the week and at festivals,” said Nong Thi Thuy, a culture official in Quang Yen district.
The Nung also use indigo fabric to make blankets, pillows, and bags that range from light blue to dark blue to blue-black.
Thu Hang
- Khuoi Ky village in Trung Khanh district, Cao Bang province, is famous for its stilt houses built of rocks and its tradition of worshipping the Rock God.
A Tay rock stilt house has two floors, the upper one for humans and the lower one for livestock. (Photo: Thu Hang/VOV)
Stilt houses made of rocks are sacred to the local Tay ethnic people, who for many generations have worshipped the Rock God. The Tay still believe that rocks are the source of life and the center of the universe. People were born of stone and in the end will be turned to stone. Stone in their minds is a divinity protecting them from harsh nature. In the Tay tradition, there are certain days for conducting thanksgiving rituals for the Rock God and the God of the Forest.
Dam Van Vu, Vice Chairman of the Trung Khanh People’s Committee, said: “The Tay people in Trung Khanh district build their stilt houses of rocks. Each house has two floors, the lower floor for livestock and the upper floor for humans. Rock is an indispensable material in their lives. Their mills, mortars, fences, and furniture are all made from rock.”
(Photo: Thu Hang/VOV)
Tay houses are surrounded by rock fences. Each rock stilt house takes two to three years to complete. Choosing beautiful rocks with which to build their house is a spiritual matter. They said rocks, formed deep in the earth, embody the essence of heaven and earth and have a high spiritual energy.
“Our rock stilt houses have existed for a long time, even before I became the daughter-in-law of Khuoi Ky village. They are very hard to make,” Village elder Trieu Thi Mo told VOV.
One advantage of rock houses is that they are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The location of the house is carefully considered. It should be on high ground near the foot of a mountain looking onto a wide, open space. Each house is often at seven to eight meters high and topped with a yin-yang tile roof.
The fourteen rock stilt houses in Khuoi Ky were restored in 2010. The village has been recognized as a traditional ethnic minority cultural village by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
“Community tourism is developing here. We are trying to improve our facilities and services to cater to tourists and encourage homestays,” said villager Nong Ich Dat.
A small cement path leads to Khuoi Ky village. (Photo: Thu Hang/VOV)
Nguyen Thanh Vinh, a newcomer to Khuoi Ky, told VOV: “This village is very peaceful. The local Tay people are friendly. I was invited by a Tay woman to enjoy a meal with her family.”
According to the management board of the Non Nuoc-Cao Bang geo park, the Tay tradition of using rocks dates back to the 16th century when people were sent to Cao Bang province to build citadel to defend Vietnam. The stilt houses built of rocks were fortresses for the use of the nobles.
- Brocades are typical weaving and sewing products of the Tay people in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang. They are well-known for their colorful patterns which have been passed from generation to generation. The craft is most active in Phu Ngoc commune, Ha Quang district.
The loom of the Tay people is made entirely of natural bamboo.(Photo: Thu Hang/VOV)
Luong Noi is the only village in Ha Quang district that has preserved its ancient weaving techniques and tools. There are 30 looms still being used in the village, which is located inside the Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark.
Hoang Thi Nhuan, a researcher of Cao Bang folk culture, said: “Luong Noi villagers began weaving brocades about 500 years ago. Their products quickly became famous. In the old days, they grew the cotton themselves.”
Traditional skills include spinning yarn, framing, creating patterns, and weaving fabric, all of which require patience, meticulousness, and creativity. Each pattern is a combination of dark, bright, warm, and cool colors placed harmoniously against an opalescent background, making the Tay brocades distinct from those of other ethnic minority groups.
“The Color scheme is very important in weaving brocades. There are embossed patterns in vivid colors which stand out against submerged patterns representing the earth. The colorful embossed patterns symbolize all the things on earth. That’s the way the Tay people perceive the universe,” said researcher Nhuan.
There are 20 different patterns in the Tay brocades, including plum blossoms, peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, rare wild flowers, and animals, such as deer, horses, and birds.
Artisan Nong Thi Thuoc. (Photo: Thu Hang/VOV)
“Our ancestors initially grew cotton to weave clothes. Then they made blankets, mosquito nets, pillows, and mattresses. The patterns have evolved. While working in the field, we think about creating new flower patterns – how the threads should be arranged and how many threads and colors should be used,” artisan Nong Thi Thuoc of Luong Noi village told VOV.
The Tay women weave brocade to make blankets, slings, bed wraps, and traditional costumes. The looms are built entirely of natural bamboo by the Tay themselves. The artisans design brocade patterns in their head without writing anything down, according to artisan Thuoc.
“Each weaver needs to think of the number of threads and colors needed to produce the desired patterns. Some patterns need 20 bamboo sticks to create a frame. Others might need as many as 100,” she said.
Brocade patterns created by the Tay in Luong Noi village. (Photo: Thu Hang/VOV)
“Traditionally, the flower pattern of the Tay people had 8 petals. Now the design has changed to meet different modern tastes. But no matter how much the brocade products have evolved, they still reflect the Tay culture,” said researcher Nhuan.
Sour pork is a specialty of the Muong ethnic minority living in Thanh Son district, Phu Tho province, in Vietnam’s northern midland. This is the mainstay of the Muong people’s Lunar New Year feast.
Photo: Sour pork of the Muong people in Thanh Son district, Phu Tho province.
- Dien Bien province is home to about 6,000 Dao people of the Red Dao, Dao Quan Chet, and Dao Khau branches. The Dao observe many religious and cultural ceremonies and festivals. Worthy of note is their Fire Dance Festival. Today VOV will spotlight the fire dance of the Red Dao in Huoi Sau hamlet, Nam Pho district.
Photo: Red Dao men dance on burning coals.
- The Thai in Son La province have many cultural and ritual customs. Planting or hanging Ta dieu is a typical rite which has been handed down from generation to generation.
Photo: A 1-eye Ta dieu
The Red Dao have many observances throughout the year, such as abstention day after the Forest Worship on the first day of a New Year and Days of the Wind and Thunderbolt Deities. Let’s explore what the Red Dao do on the Day for the Thunderbolt Deity.
Photo: Red Dao women.
The White Thai ethnic minority celebrate their Xip Xi Festival on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month in the leisure time before the fall harvest.
Photo: A Thai family prepares traditional dishes for the Xip Xi Festival.
The Lu ethnic minority of Lai Chau province have long earned their living by growing cotton, raising silkworms, spinning thread and weaving fabrics. The colorful patterns on their clothes depict trees, plants, and flowers to adorn Lu women’s beauty. Lu women still weave, embroider, and sew turbans, blouses, skirts and belts, preserving a long standing cultural tradition.
Photo: Lu women’s clothing includes turbans, blouses, skirts, belts, and necklaces.