21 Photos Reveal the Beauty and Rich Cultures of Vietnam’s Ethnic Minorities

With 54 offi­cial­ly rec­og­nized eth­nic groups, hun­dreds of more sub-groups speak­ing over 100 lan­guages, Viet­nam is one of the most eth­no-lin­guis­ti­cal­ly diverse regions in South East Asia. Viet­nam’s eth­nic groups are an amal­ga­ma­tion of cul­ture from as far off as the Himalayas, India, Chi­na, and islands of the South Pacif­ic. A cross­roads of sorts with hun­dreds of diverse eth­nic minor­i­ty groups.
Photos reveal the beauty and diversity of Vietnams ethnic minorities
With such eth­nic diver­si­ty comes strik­ing fea­tures and cus­tom tra­di­tion­al cloth­ing that tell a sto­ry of their ori­gins. Show­cased here are 21 pho­tos that high­light this beau­ti­ful diver­si­ty across Viet­nam. These images are part of “Viet­nam The Peo­ple” a cul­tur­al pho­tog­ra­phy project by pho­tog­ra­ph­er Alden Ander­son and Trinh Nguyen to doc­u­ment the cul­tures and sto­ries of Vietnam.

Dao Ethnic Group

Girl from Dao Ethnic Minority Group in Vietnam

Qua, 3, Dao Cham (Dao Ao Dai) eth­nic group. Ha Giang, (North) Vietnam

Dao Ethnic Minority Woman Vietnam

Quáy, 102, Red Dao Eth­nic Group.
Ha Giang, (North) Vietnam

The Dao eth­nic group (pro­nounced “Yao” in South­ern Viet­nam and “Zao” in North­ern Viet­nam) is per­haps the most cul­tur­al­ly diverse of all of the eth­nic minor­i­ty groups in Viet­nam. Orig­i­nal­ly from South­ern Chi­na, the Dao migrat­ed to Viet­nam, Laos, and Thai­land start­ing as ear­ly as the 13th cen­tu­ry. They pri­mar­i­ly live in the moun­tain­ous regions across North­ern Viet­nam and retain strong cul­tur­al tra­di­tions. Trav­el­ing around the North it’s quite com­mon to see Dao women and men work­ing and going about their dai­ly lives while wear­ing their tra­di­tion­al clothes which vary great­ly between the Dao sub-eth­nic groups. With a pop­u­la­tion of 891,151, the Dao are the 8th most pop­u­lous eth­nic minor­i­ty group in Vietnam.

Ba Na Ethnic Group

Bahnar ethnic group vietnam Central Highlands

A Bui, 63, Bah­nar (Ba Na) Eth­nic Group. Kon Tum, (Cen­tral) Vietnam

Indige­nous to the Cen­tral High­lands of Viet­nam the Bah­nar (or Ba Na) eth­nic minor­i­ty group has a rich musi­cal her­itage with brass gongs as a cor­ner­stone in their many cul­tur­al cer­e­monies. In most Bah­nar com­mu­ni­ties there is a large stilt house with a long slop­ing roof called a “Rong” at the cen­ter of the vil­lage. These Rong hous­es are still quite com­mon in Bah­nar vil­lages today.

Cong Ethnic Group

Woman from the Cong Ethnic Minority Group Vietnam

Bê, 62, Cống Eth­nic Group. Lai Chau, (North­ern) Vietnam

With 2,729 peo­ple in Viet­nam, the Cong are the 7th small­est eth­nic minor­i­ty group in Viet­nam. Their dis­tinc­tive bright­ly cov­ered tra­di­tion­al clothes for women are a patch­work of dif­fer­ent fab­rics, adorned with an abun­dance of sil­ver jew­el­ry indica­tive of their nomadic heritage.

La Hu Ethnic Group

La Hu Ethnic Minority Group Vietnam

Nhung, 82, La Hủ eth­nic group. Lai Chau, (North­ern) Vietnam

The once nomadic La Hu eth­nic group migrat­ed to Viet­nam from Chi­na in the 1800’s. Being nomadic was­n’t easy and at times they had to sub­sist on lit­tle more than roots gath­ered from the for­est. The tra­di­tion­al clothes worn by the women of the La Hu can be rec­og­nized by their dis­tinct col­or­ful head­dress­es and band­ed sleeve tunics adorned with coins and jew­el­ry in the front.

Lao Ethnic Group

Woman from Lao Ethnic Minority Group in North Vietnam

Hac, Lao Eth­nic Group. Lai Chau, (North­ern) Vietnam

The Lao eth­nic group in North West­ern Viet­nam are dis­tant­ly relat­ed to the peo­ple of the neigh­bor­ing coun­try of Laos. While they have no writ­ten script, the Lao in Viet­nam have a spo­ken lan­guage sim­i­lar to that of the peo­ple of Laos.  The Lao are known for their crafts and hand­made tra­di­tion­al clothes as can be seen in the pho­to of Hac (below) as she holds her rooster.

Ta Oi Ethnic Group

Ta Oi woman portrait Vietnam

Kăn Prả,92, Ta Oi Eth­nic Group. Hue, (Cen­tral) Vietnam

The Ta Oi eth­nic minor­i­ty group have a strong cul­tur­al tra­di­tion of bro­cade weav­ing called “Zeng” with intri­cate pat­terns are woven with glass beads. Zeng looms are made of 6 bam­boo poles and are eas­i­ly trans­portable. The Ta Oi are indige­nous to the Cen­tral High­lands of Viet­nam as well as neigh­bor­ing Laos. Kan Pra (pic­tured) walked from Laos with her fam­i­ly many years ago.

Cham Ethnic Group

Woman from the Cham Ethnic minority group Vietnam

Sáu, 103, Cham Eth­nic Group. Phan Rang, (Cen­tral) Vietnam

Begin­ning in the sec­ond Cen­tu­ry AD and last­ing over 1,500 years the Cham ruled a large part of Cen­tral and South­ern Viet­nam known as “Cham­pa”. Rem­nants of this ancient king­dom can be found in brick tem­ples across Cen­tral and South­ern Viet­nam. The Cham peo­ple retain a rich and diverse cul­ture and have the dis­tinc­tion of being one of the few cul­tures who still make pot­tery by hand with­out a pot­tery wheel.

Ha Nhi Ethnic Group

Woman from the Black Ha Nhi Ethnic Group in Vietnam

Trụ, Hà Nhì Eth­nic Group. Lao Cai, (North­ern) Vietnam

The Black Ha Nhi are known for their dis­tinc­tive tra­di­tion­al cloth­ing adorned with wind­ing blue lines sym­bol­iz­ing moun­tains and rice ter­races. They con­tin­ue to build their hous­es in the tra­di­tion­al man­ner using earth and grass. Thick walls and only 1 door, keep the struc­tures cool in the sum­mer and warm in the win­ter. Anoth­er unique fea­ture of the Ha Nhi peo­ple is the wool head­dress worn by women. In the past women would use real hair attached as hair exten­sions and per­haps horse hair. Now it is pri­mar­i­ly black wool fiber, woven in a braid. 

Phu La Ethnic Group

Girl from the Phu La in Vietnam

Cốc, 7, Phu La Eth­nic Group. North­ern Vietnam

The Phu La migrat­ed to Viet­nam many cen­turies ago. Though orig­i­nal­ly from bor­der­ing Chi­na, the Phu La in Viet­nam now great­ly out­num­ber their cousins across the bor­der. They are one of the six Tibeto-Bur­man eth­nic groups in Viet­nam. The shared nomadic her­itage of these eth­nic groups is reflect­ed in the var­i­ous pieces of cloth and adorn­ments in their tra­di­tion­al clothes.

Ma Ethnic Group

Man from the Ma Ethnic group wearing traditional clothes

Brê, Ma Eth­nic Group. Cen­tral High­lands, Vietnam

The Ma are one of the myr­i­ads of eth­nic groups indige­nous to the Cen­tral High­lands of Viet­nam. These eth­nic groups as a whole were named the “Mon­tag­nards” by the French which trans­lates to “Moun­tain Dwellers” or “Moun­tain Peo­ple”.  Tra­di­tion­al­ly men wore loin clothes (pic­tured), a cus­tom that has all but dis­ap­peared in the dai­ly lives of the Ma.

Pu Peo Ethnic Group

Pu Peo Ethnic Minority Group Vietnam Photography by Alden Anderson

Nhiến, 80 & Là, 87, Pu Péo Eth­nic Group. Ha Giang, (North­ern) Vietnam

With 903 peo­ple in Viet­nam (2019 cen­sus), the Pu Peo are the 4th small­est eth­nic group in the coun­try. They most­ly live in small vil­lages in Ha Giang province of North­ern Viet­nam close to the bor­der with Chi­na. Here, many cus­toms of the Pu Peo are still prac­ticed includ­ing mak­ing their own tra­di­tion­al clothes. Nhiến, 80, & Là, 87 are sis­ters-in-law and are wear­ing their hand­made tra­di­tion­al clothes com­plete with beau­ti­ful­ly embroi­dered shoes!

Brau Ethnic Group

Woman from the Brau Ethnic Minority Group in Vietnam

Pe, 90, Brâu Eth­nic Group. Kon Tum, (Cen­tral) Vietnam

Girl from the Brau Ethnic Minority Group in Vietnam

Y Scon, 8, Brâu Eth­nic Group. Kon Tum, (Cen­tral) Vietnam

The Brau are one of the few eth­nic groups in Viet­nam where women still have elon­gat­ed ear­lobes and filled teeth. How­ev­er, these prac­tices are no longer con­tin­ued amongst the younger mem­bers of the tribe. The Brau in Viet­nam most­ly reside in one small vil­lage near the bor­der with Laos and Cam­bo­dia, where they also live. With 525 Brau in Viet­nam, they are the sec­ond small­est eth­nic group in the country. 

Pa Then Ethnic Group

Woman from the Pa Then ethnic mionority group in North Vietnam

Trường, 21,  Pa Then Eth­nic Group. Ha Giang, (North­ern) Vietnam

One of the most strik­ing fea­tures of the Pa Then tra­di­tion­al cloth­ing is their unique head­dress worn by Pa Then women. A long, thin, intri­cate­ly hand­wo­ven cloth that is tight­ly wrapped around a wom­an’s head. The Pa Then are well known for their fire danc­ing fes­ti­val. With very spe­cif­ic rit­u­als a Pa Then Shaman will invoke spir­its that enable a par­tic­i­pant to walk across glow­ing hot coals.

Xa Phang Ethnic Group

Xa Phang Hoa ethnic minority group Vietnam

Linh, 18, Xa Phang Eth­nic Group. Dien Bien Province, (North­ern) Vietnam

While con­sid­ered part of the much larg­er Hoa (Chi­nese) eth­nic minor­i­ty group in Viet­nam the Xa Phang have a very rich cul­ture of their own which includes mak­ing their tra­di­tion­al clothes by hand.  When we vis­it­ed their vil­lage, each per­son we spoke to had their tra­di­tion­al clothes (includ­ing shoes), even the youngest chil­dren! The tra­di­tions of mak­ing clothes are passed down through each generation.

Ra Glai Ethnic Group

Raglai Ethnic Minority Group Photography Vietnam

Xrim, 93, Raglai Eth­nic Group. Ninh Thuan, (Cen­tral) Vietnam

The ances­tors of the Ra Glai, like oth­er Aus­trone­sian eth­nic groups, can be traced back to pre-Han Tai­wan some 4,000 to 5,000 years ago.  Their ances­tors were the nomads of the sea and set out from Tai­wan on a great seaborne migra­tion, which brought them first to the Phillip­ines before even­tu­al­ly set­tling in Viet­nam.  Today the Ra Glai most­ly reside in Cen­tral Viet­nam near the coast. 

Co Tu Ethnic Group

Co Tu - Katu man, Vietnam

Co Tu Eth­nic Group. Quang Nam, (Cen­tral) Vietnam

Tra­di­tion­al­ly CoTu men wore a loin­cloth while in cold­er weath­er they could wear a spe­cial shirt made from the bark of a tree. Mak­ing a tree bark shirt is a process that has almost com­plete­ly dis­ap­peared prob­a­bly due to the amount of work it requires and the rel­a­tive ease in obtain­ing more “mod­ern” tex­tiles. How­ev­er, they do still con­tin­ue the tra­di­tion of weav­ing fab­ric by hand on looms much like their high­land neigh­bors the Ta Oi.

Khmer Ethnic Group

Khmer Ethnic Minority Vietnam

Khmer Eth­nic Group. An Giang, (South) Vietnam

The Khmer in Viet­nam are con­cen­trat­ed in the South near bor­der­ing Cam­bo­dia. They still con­tin­ue their tra­di­tion of weav­ing silk cloth by hand in beau­ti­ful intri­cate pat­terns. The Khmer have close ties with the Khmer in Cam­bo­dia, shar­ing lan­guage, cul­ture and cus­toms. With over 1.3 mil­lion Khmer in Viet­nam, they are the 5th largest eth­nic minor­i­ty group in the country. 

Xo Dang Ethnic Group

Xo Dang Ethnic Group Vietnam

Yem, 108, Xo Dang Eth­nic Group. Kon Tum, (Cen­tral) Vietnam

The Xo Dang (Sedang) are well known for their met­al­lur­gy and smelt­ing tech­niques as well as oth­er craft­ing abil­i­ties (all of the cloth­ing worn by grand­ma Yem is hand­made). Like their Cen­tral High­land neigh­bors the Ba Na, the Xo Dang peo­ple have tra­di­tion­al­ly lived in stilt hous­es with the largest house with a long slop­ing roof (Rong) used as a cen­tral meet­ing place for the mem­bers of the village.

Cho Ro Ethnic Group

Man from the Cho Ro ethnic minority group in Vietnam

Liệt, 78, Cho Ro Eth­nic Group. Đồng Nai, (South) Vietnam

The Cho Ro are indege­nous to the Cen­tral High­lands of Viet­nam. They still con­tin­ue their musi­cal tra­di­tions includ­ing brass gongs. Liệt (pic­tured) plays a tra­di­tion­al musi­cal instru­ment con­struct­ed of bam­boo and met­al strings. His clothes are hand woven in the tra­di­tion­al pat­tern on the Cho Ro. These pater­ns sym­bol­ize dif­fer­ent ani­mals of the for­est, reveal­ing the Cho Ro’s close rela­tion­ship with the nat­ur­al world.

Discover more stories from ‘Vietnam The People’

Ha Nhi Ethnic Group, Vietnam

Trụ, 30, Hà Nhì Ethnic Group, Vietnam

Si La Ethnic Group Vietnam

Thai, Si La Ethnic Group, Vietnam

Cong Ethnic Group Vietnam

Be, Cong Ethnic Group

La Ethnic Group, Vietnam

Nhung, La Hu Ethnic Group, Vietnam