Ethnic Groups of Vietnam: An Ethnological Guide To Vietnamese Tribes CULTURE

If you’re considering a trip to Vietnam, you’ll already know that it’s one of the most varied countries to visit when it comes to landscape, climate, and culture. From the limestone islets of Halong Bay to the megacities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and all in between – it’s a land of extremes, that’s for sure.

Traditional Vietnamese Medicine: Historical Perspective and Current Usage

Author(s): Hue Chan Thai, ND, MSA
Date Authored: August 1, 2003
Date Last Reviewed: September 20, 2011
Traditional medicines. Photo by Matteo X (cc license).

For several thousand years, Vietnamese Traditional Medicine has evolved under the shadows of Chinese Traditional Medicine, culture, and rule. At this point in time, it is nearly impossible to separate out and delineate Traditional Vietnamese Medicine or Thuoc Nam (Southern Medicine) from Traditional Chinese Medicine or Thuoc Bac (Northern Medicine) because their developments were so inter-twined. This is a brief history of the development of Thuoc Nam and its influences particularly by Southern China.

The Ins and Outs of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine

Traditional Vietnamese Medicine has roots dating back thousands of years. It’s a field that’s evolved over time, aided by the nation’s humid, tropical climate, which provides ideal conditions for the hundreds of plants used in the discipline to grow.

Traditional practitioner weighting lucidum for the recipe | © Dragon Images/Shutterstock

24 SOLAR TERM

A Dong Son drum - A philosophy about univer (also called Heger Type I drum) is a bronze drum created by the Dong Son culture in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. The drums were produced from about 600 BCE or earlier until the third century CE

Vietnam possesses an array of intangible cultural heritages that have been recognized by UNESCO.

Nha Nhac - Vietnamese court music

Then practice to receive UNESCO certificate of enrollment

The northern mountainous Tuyen Quang provincial People's Committee has issued a plan for a ceremony to receive UNESCO's registration certificate for "The Then practice of the Tay, Nung and Thai people in Vietnam" and Tuyen Quang City Festival 2020.


Tuyen Quang Festival 2019 (Source: Tuyen Quang Newspaper)

Kate Festival 2020 imbued with Cham folk culture in Binh Thuan

The central Binh Thuan Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued a plan to organize Kate Festival in 2020.


Kate Festival in Binh Thuan (Source: baobinhthuan.com.vn)

Teaching intangible cultural heritage to Phu La and La Chi ethnic people

A training course on intangible cultural heritage for Phu La and La Chi ethnic people will take place in Hoang Su Phu district, the northeastern mountainous province of Ha Giang, from June 29th to July 1st, and in Bac Ha district, the northwestern province of Lao Cai, from July 3rd to 5th, 2019


La Chi ethnic group (Source: Ethnic Journal)
The training courses will be held according to Decision 1270/QĐ-TTg on July 27th, 2011, approving the project on preserving and developing Vietnamese ethnic culture until 2020 and Decision 3508/QĐ-BVHTTDL on October 10th, 2013, approving the project on urgent preservation and support, improvement of capacity to preserve and promote ethnic culture and eliminate backward customary practices in ethnic-inhabited areas.

Artisans who practice intangible cultural heritage will be lecturers for about 140 Phu La ethnic people from Bac Ha district and La Chi ethnic people from Hoang Su Phi district.

Through the training course, ethnic people will be instructed to gradually restore and promote the traditional culture of ethnic people, contributing to formulate realistic mechanisms and policies in the conservation and promotion of intangible culture of the Phu La and La Chi ethnic groups; and approve policies to support and encourage artisans in preserving and transmitting heritage to the next generations./.

Ao Dai festival honouring Vietnam’s landscapes to take place in Hoi An

An Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) Festival will take place in the central province of Quang Nam’s Hoi An ancient town on June 14th.


Photo for illustration (vietnamnet.vn)

Dossiers on intangible heritages built to seek UNESCO recognition

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to work with relevant agencies on the preparation of dossiers on two of Vietnam’s intangible cultural heritages for UNESCO recognition.



A shrine dedicated to the holy lady of Sam Mount in An Giang province (Photo: vov.vn)

Fighting against virus with traditional music

After many modern tunes have encouraged citizens to help stop the COVID-19, now it is the turn of traditional Vietnamese music. One of the earliest works is a song entitled Tieu Diet Corona (Destroy Corona) by Xam Ha Thanh (Hanoi buskers’ singing group).



Artists of Xam Ha Thanh perform Tieu Diet Corona (Destroy Corona), a song encouraging the spirit of the citizens in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. (Photo cut from the MV)

Ceremony commemorates legendary ancestors of Vietnam

Authorities of the northern province of Phu Tho held a ceremony on March 29th to commemorate the legendary national ancestors of Vietnam, Father Lac Long Quan and Mother Au Co.



Officials of Phu Tho province pay tribute to Lac Long Quan at his temple on Sim Mountain on March 29th (Photo: VNA)

Efforts needed to preserve folk art of Then singing

“Then” singing is an indispensable practice in the cultural and religious life of Tay and Nung ethnic minority communities in the northern province of Thai Nguyen, especially Dinh Hoa region.


Photo for illustration (Source: dangcongsan.vn)

Tuyen Quang preserves traditional culture of ethnic minorities

Over the past time, Tuyen Quang provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has consulted the provincial Party Committee, People's Committee and People's Council to issue mechanisms and policies to promote the development of culture, sports and tourism.

Nghe An province: Season praying festival of Kho Mu ethnic group

The season praying festival is an annual agricultural ritual of Kho Mu ethnic minority group in Tuong Duong district, the central province of Nghe An.

The festival has important meaning in the spiritual life of the Kho Mu, contributing to cultural diversity of the community of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam.

Kho Mu ethnic people have introduced the festival at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Hanoi as part of October activities.

A season praying ritual of the Kho Mu is held for many families in the same shifting cultivation area or the whole village depending on the annual cultivation conditions. Normally, after planting rice plants by hand, Kho Mu people conduct the ceremony to show their respect to the gods.

Thanh Ha pottery recognized as national intangible cultural heritage

Thanh Ha pottery in Hoi An city, the central province of Quang Nam, has been recognized as national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.


Foreign visitors are interested in Thanh Hoa pottery (Source: baovanhoa.vn)

Additional 17 national intangible cultural heritages announced

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien has recently signed a decision announcing 17 new national intangible cultural heritages.


Ba Danh Pagoda Festival in Ha Nam province (Photo:hanam.gov.vn)

Festival performs national intangible cultural heritages

A festival on performing national intangible cultural heritages and Tuyen Quang city festival are taking place in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang from September 12th to 14th.

Ao Dai - An Intangible cultural heritage of Baiyue civilazation

If you are interested in discovering intangible cultural features, Vietnam is a top country to travel as there are a lot of intangible cultural heritage forms in the area recognized by UNESCO. They are different types of Vietnamese traditional music from North to South and national festivals dated from hundreds years ago.

Vietnam’s ‘Then’ singing honoured as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The practices of Then reflect concepts about human beings, nature and the universe. Then ceremonies describe a journey in which the Master controls ghost soldiers travelling from earth to heaven to present items of worship and prayers for peace, good crops, and good health.

During the practice, the Then Master sings and plays a ‘tinh’ lute, wearing ceremonial dress. Then is always transmitted orally while the rituals are conducted, reflecting its succession across the generations.