An ethnic mosaic difficult to order
It is conventional to group ethnic groups into five large families based on linguistic criteria(see Population chapter). However, according to specialists, this classification is not very enlightening. Indeed, within the same language family, social practices or political and religious systems can be very heterogeneous, whereas two groups belonging to different families may have much in common. Prehistorians are still lost in conjecture as to the origins and identities of the various ethnic groups that populate Vietnam, but the commonly accepted pattern is that of successive migratory waves of elements originating from southern China on an indigenous substratum made up of Austro-Asian populations (Viêt and Muong in the Red River delta) and Austronesian populations (Jarai, Edé or Rhadé in the central highlands).
In simple terms, the deltaic plains and lowlands are inhabited by Austro-Asians: the Viêt, the Khmer Krom in the Mekong delta and the Muong, some of whose families welcome tourists who spend the night in the stilt houses of the villages in the Ngoc Son Ngo Luong nature reserve (Hoa Binh province, near Hanoi). In the valleys and intramontane basins live groups of the Thai-Kadai family: White Thai, Black Thai, Nung, but above all the Tay. The Tay are the second largest ethnic group (just under 2 million people) after the Viet. They are mainly found in the north-east of the country. The Thai are found in the north-west, on the right bank of the Red River. The Mai Châu valley, the Nghia Lô plain, the Pu Luong nature reserve and the province of Diên Biên are renowned for the splendour of their landscapes, disciplined by the geometry of terraced rice fields, and the authenticity of their villages, with their spacious, elegant wooden houses perched on high stilts almost 2 m above the ground. On the crests of the mountainous belt that stretches along the border with Laos and China live the H'mông and the Dao. The H'mông are recent migrants whose presence is not attested before the 19th century. The Dao are thought to have settled here in the 13th or 14thcentury , which explains why they have settled at lower altitudes. The latter two groups are found in particular in the provinces of Lao Cai and Hà Giang, where numerous markets are held every week, bringing together minorities from the surrounding hamlets. The central highlands are home to Austroasiatics (Banhar, Katu, Sedang...) and Austronesians (Jarai, Edé...). Access is more difficult, not because the minorities are less welcoming, but because the authorities exercise strict control, fearing that foreign influences will fuel irredentist movements.
Historically, these minorities, which can be found everywhere in a vast transnational mountainous area stretching from southern China to northern mainland Southeast Asia, at the eastern end of the Indian world, have kept to themselves, practicing what anthropologist James C. Scott calls "the art of staying out of the way". Scott calls "the art of not being governed". But the vicissitudes of history, the successive wars in which the minorities were drawn into and fought on one side or the other, and finally the accelerating economic boom have taken their toll on traditional systems. The ubiquity of Viet settlement now renders the ethnic tiered system somewhat obsolete. After 1975, the highlands were gradually colonized and transformed by the development of industrial agriculture. Coffee, tea and pepper plantations took the place of forest areas, the ancestral domain of indigenous minorities. The case of the high-altitude resort of Sapa is also exemplary. The construction of a freeway and a cable car have fuelled land speculation, a profusion of tourist infrastructures and the monopolization of minority farmland by the majority Vietnamese ethnic group. The intermingling of populations can also be seen in Hanoi, where it is not uncommon to come across representatives of the Thai ethnic group who have come to hire out their labor on the capital's many construction sites.
Richness of the museums
Visiting museums is an excellent way to learn about Vietnam's cultural and ethnic diversity. Costumes, jewelry, basketry and ritual objects have been collected since the early days of the French presence in Indochina. Before or after a stay in Vietnam, and if you have the opportunity to visit Paris, a visit to the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac could be the perfect opportunity to discover these objects. In Vietnam, a visit to the Hanoi Museum of Ethnography is a must in the capital. Inaugurated in 1997, in the presence of President Jacques Chirac, the museum was designed in collaboration with specialists from the Musée de l'Homme (Paris), whose ethnographic section has since been transferred to the musée du quai Branly. The architectural garden is particularly popular with visitors. Buildings typical of several ethnic groups have been reconstructed using original materials and traditional construction techniques. Still in Hanoi, the Women's Museum is another institution with a wealth of information on the customs of various ethnic minorities: marriage, birth, daily life, handicrafts... Last but not least, the Dak Lak Museum of Ethnography in Buôn Ma Thuôt, in the Central Highlands. Inaugurated in 2011, it was also designed in cooperation with French specialists. Its architecture follows the lines of traditional houses, and it is essentially devoted to the culture of the region's ethnic groups: Edé, Mnong, Jarai..
Richness of the meetings
Encounters with minorities are always a highlight of any trip to Vietnam, and can even be the objective of the trip itself. Depending on your budget, the length of your stay and your physical condition, you can envisage different types of activities. In northern Vietnam, motorcycle tours will appeal to adventure-seekers. It's a great way to immerse yourself in the landscape and meet the local people. On the tracks, in the heart of a valley or as you wind your way up a misty mountain pass, there are plenty of stops to be made: at a waterfall, under a banyan tree, at a ford or before crossing a suspension bridge... To be successful, a trip of this kind requires a minimum of organization and precautions. Using the services of a specialized agency can help you avoid many disappointments. An agency generally benefits from considerable experience. Over and above the material and safety aspects and mechanical assistance, which are not negligible in remote regions, the agency has a perfect grasp of the human geography of mountainous areas and offers accompanied tours that weave encounters and landscapes into stories that are always unique. Trekking is another way to discover the life of mountain populations. The provinces of Hà Giang and Lao Cai, in the north, are home to some of the most beautiful routes, leading to the highland hamlets of the H'mông, Dao, Nung, Phu La and Hani peoples. You don't need to be an athlete; all you need is a little stamina and a good ability to adapt. While day hikes can be improvised, multi-day treks require the services of a specialized operator. Several local agencies offer treks of up to ten days, with varying levels of difficulty, to suit all tastes. In the evening, we welcome you in traditional houses in minority villages. A French-speaking guide will help you establish contact and start conversations with your hosts.Homestay accommodation is also very attractive. Some agencies excel in designing this type of stay, which offers a real immersion in village life. These are short (but can be extended) one- or two-day extensions of a well-known tourist site, in a village representative of the local culture. The traveler is invited to stay with a local whose house has been refurbished to provide the necessary amenities. They are invited to take part in everyday activities: the market, work in the fields, cooking, weaving, caring for livestock... Finally, for those who wish to enjoy a certain level of comfort, some hotels are located in exceptional, unspoilt settings. They are ideal bases from which to discover the ethnic groups that inhabit these remote regions.
Solidarity shopping
Often isolated and subject to difficult living conditions, ethnic minorities in mountainous regions are among the poorest populations in Vietnam. For them, the sale of handicrafts represents an opportunity to generate additional income. However, they have little mastery of distribution channels and often fall victim to unscrupulous middlemen. What's more, many so-called ethnic handicrafts are in fact made in workshops run by Kinh. In a spirit of solidarity, a number of NGOs support fair trade initiatives that promote the work of minority artisans. In Hanoi, Craft Link offers beautiful products that safeguard the ancestral skills of several ethnic groups. Indigo Store, a boutique specializing in textiles, also offers superb products, including indigo batiks and splendid scarves. Oriberry and Betterday offer rare green teas harvested from century-old trees by the H'mông and Dao peoples in the mountainous north. In Sapa, Indigo Cat offers a wide selection of local handicrafts (textiles, jewelry...), as well as natural products such as honey and essential oils.
