La Hu women (near Muong Te).
The La Hu live in villages built on mountain slopes. These houses are level with the ground and divided by bamboo partitions. The altar for the ancestors and the kitchen are always placed at the bay of the house, which is used for the family sleeping quarters. The right of inheritance is only reserved for sons. Young men and women are free to choose their partners. After the wedding, the groom has to live with his wife's family for several years, but then takes his wife to his family house.
La Hu women usually give birth in their bedroom. Three days later, the baby is given its name. If an unexpected guest comes during this time, he or she is given the honour of naming the newborn. The worship of the ancestors is reserved for the dead parents. Every year the La Hu hold ceremonies to worship the spirits of the earth and to pray for peace. They conjure up the souls of the corn and the rice spirits after the sowing and harvesting duties have been completed.
La Hu language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman Group. There are a dozen "khen" (pan-pipe) dances in La Hu culture. The songs are sung in the Ha Nhi language, but the La Hu have kept their own rhythms. The La Hu have a rich heritage of ancient tales, and they even maintain their own calendar in which the days are defined corresponding to twelve animals, including the tiger, rabbit, dragon, mouse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig, squirrel, snake and buffalo.
Women wear trousers and a long-lap shirt that falls to their ankles. They also wear a short vest
during festive days. The collar, chest stripes, and sleeves are either embroidered or sewn with colourful pieces of cloth, silver, tin coins, or red fringes.
The La Hu live on slash-and-burn cultivation and hunting. La Hu men are very skilled at blacksmithing and making rattan chairs, trays, mats.
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Hmong girl.
The Hmong, also known as the Miao, originated from southern China and started to settle in Vietnam during the 19th century when they built hamlets in the highland regions of Ha Giang and Lao Cai provinces. The history of this emigration is closely linked to that of the Hmong struggle against the Chinese feudal authorities.
The Hmong belong to the Hmong-Mien group of the Austro-Thai language family. Because of their dispersion and geographical isolation, the various groups are separated from each by language, dress and customs, which may vary greatly from region to region and even from village to village.
There are about 750,000 Hmong in Vietnam (over 1% of Vietnam’s population).
The Hmong are widely spread across the highland areas of Vietnam, but particularly near the Chinese border down to the 18th parallel.
The Hmong particularly value silver jewelry as this signifies wealth and a good life. Men, women and children wear silver necklaces and bracelets. Hmong society is characterized by great solidarity among members of the same family and among villagers.
The Hmong are spirit worshippers. They believe in household spirits and those of the door and cattle. Every house has an altar, where protection for the household is sought.
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San Chay tribal woman in Ban Khe Sam village (on the way to Lang Son).
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Lo Lo Den or Black Lo Lo woman (Bao Lac market).
The "Lo Lo" ethnic group's population was about 3,200 in 1989, according Vietnam's official survey data.
They reside in Cao-Bang, Ha-Giang and Lao-Cai provinces, largely in the districts of Bao-Lac (Cao-Bang), Dong-Van and Meo-Vac (Ha-Giang), and Muong-Khuong (Lao-Cai). Like some other ethnoses in northern Vietnam, the "Lo-Lo" have had their origin in southern China regions such as Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, who, according to historians and ethnologists, had established the Nam-Chien state by the end of the first millennium.
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There are several groups within the H'mong, including Black, White, Red, Green and Flower, each of which bears its own subtle variation of traditional dress.
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