Tribal Vietnam

Vietnam is home to 54 different ethnic groups, the largest of which, the Kinh (or Viet), comprises 65 million people. Outside of the cities, and in trekking trips around Sapa, you'll encounter many of these groups, including Flower Hmong, Black Hmong, Bahnar, Sedang, Thai, and Lu.

Tribal goods and clothes are found in shops in virtually all cities, but we've had our best buying experiences on treks, where one can buy directly from the families themselves. Here, friendly village girls will often engage visitors in conversation and offer to sell clothes, blankets, and accessories made by their mothers.

For good information on Vietnam's ethnic groups, we recommend the book Viet Nam: the Great Family of Ethnic Groups in Viet Nam (2002, GD Publishers, no ISBN). This book was developed by the Center of Educational Cartography and Illustration to "be used in schools in order to meet requirements on improving learning and teaching quality of teachers and students." With 600 color photos, this paperback is available at bookstores in many of the country's museums, for roughly $12 USD.