Tonkinese woman, late nineteenth century
Courtesy New York Times, Paris Collection, National Archives

Montagnard tribesman
Courtesy United States Army

The ethnic Vietnamese are concentrated largely in the alluvial deltas and in the coastal plains, having little in common with the minority peoples of the highlands, whom they historically have regarded as hostile and barbaric. A homogenous social group, the Vietnamese exert influence on national life through their control of political and economic affairs and their role as purveyors of the dominant culture. By contrast, the ethnic minorities, except for the Hoa, are found mostly in the highlands that cover two-thirds of the national territory. The Hoa, the largest minority, are mainly lowlanders. Officially, the ethnic minorities are referred to as national minorities.

Data as of December 1987

NOTE: The information regarding Vietnam on this page is re-published from The Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Factbook. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Vietnam ETHNIC GROUPS AND LANGUAGES information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Vietnam ETHNIC GROUPS AND LANGUAGES should be addressed to the Library of Congress and the CIA.