Vietnam Demographics

Ethnic Vietnamese, or Kinh, make up roughly 90% of the country’s 84.4 million people; the remaining population is split between 53 minority groups. Often called Montagnards or hill tribes, these people tend to live in the highlands and mountainous regions of Vietnam, almost always adhering to conservative, agrarian ways of life. Most speak traditional Vietnamese as either their primary or secondary language, but a few rely solely on the dozen or so dialects spoken throughout the country, and some even have their own systems of writing. Vietnamese ethnic minorities are often classified according to their language groups and somewhat less frequently by their primary location or population size.

Concentrated largely in the northwest and Central Highlands, Montagnards are most easily recognized by their colorful traditional clothing, which often involves complex headdresses, large jewelry, and elaborate dresses and costumes. Tourism among Montagnard communities in the northwest largely targets their bright and engaging markets, which usually sell a wide variety of goods, from clothing to fresh fruit to live animals. The relaxing pace of daily life in the villages is another highlight of trekking through the northwest, and most often foreign visitors’ and polite tourists’ presence is met with a bit of surprise, a great deal of curiosity, and an overwhelming sense of welcome.

With a population over two million, the largest minority group in Vietnam is the Hoa, descendent from the Han Chinese. They are concentrated in urban and lowland areas and remain isolated from Vietnamese society, instead maintaining their ties to China and Chinese culture. Other large groups in the north include the Tày, M™ng, and Thài, part of the Malay ethnolinguistic group, as well as the H’m®ng, Dao, and Nüng, who have roots in southern China and may have migrated to Vietnam as recently as the 19th century. The Dao have a distinctive and remarkable dress, resplendent with jangling coins and sweeping headdresses. In the Central Highlands, the largest groups are the M’nong, çdç, and Bahnar, who usually live in houses built on stilts and are perhaps Vietnam’s most disenfranchised minorities.

The Khmer and Chàm make up another class of minority groups. Khmer are ethnic Cambodians indigenous to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, which they controlled until the late 19th century. Chàm are native to the central coast of Vietnam descendants of the Champa kingdom conquered by Kinh from the north in the 15th century. The Khmer practice an adaptation of Theravada Buddhism, while the Chàm practice a mix of Hinduism and Islam.

Not surprisingly, Vietnam’s track record with its ethnic minorities has been less than ideal. Montagnards are often viewed as backward and uneducated, and some have been subjected to government-sponsored harassment and discrimination. Protestant minorities in the Central Highlands have historically been the most mistreated group, robbed of their land by the Di_m administration and persecuted by the Communist government for creating underground churches. Since then the Communist Party of Vietnam has made efforts to bring the hill tribes up to date with modern agricultural technology, education, and medicine. However, the economic divide between Kinh and minority groups continues to widen, reflecting the growing urban-rural disparity in Vietnam today.

Another important sector of Vietnamese demography is the people called Vi_t Ki]u, or “overseas Vietnamese,” who were born outside of the country or left as refugees after national reunification in 1975. Around three million ethnic Vietnamese live in other parts of the world, about 1.2 million of them in the US. The largest concentration of Vi_t Ki]u resides in Orange County, California, in one of many communities commonly called Little Saigon. The Vietnamese government’s trend toward a more open economy and the official policy of reconciliation with refugee Vi_t Ki]u have attracted many of these people back to Vietnam, though few intend to stay there for good.

Since the American War, Vietnam has been home to a remarkably young population: the war’s death toll dramatically shifted the country’s demographics, and today over 60% of the population is under 25 years old. This new generation has developed a greater sense of independence, which their elders often disapprovingly refer to as m+t g#c, or “losing roots.” Though the new trend has downplayed the importance of family and respect for one’s elders, the independent spirit of the new generation is a natural continuation of the stubborn national urge not to be colonized—even by their parents.