The beauty of Lao people

The Lao ethnic group lives mainly in the Northwest and North Central regions. Lao people love to sing and dance and have a rich folklore with many legends, fairy tales, folk songs... Let's join iGuide.ai to learn about the Lao and Vietnamese ethnic groups according to reference information from the Vietnam Ethnic Committee!

1. Historical origin

Historical origin The Lao people in our country originally migrated from the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

2. Geographic distribution

Lao ethnic people live mainly in the Northwest and North Central regions such as Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Ha Tinh... and some have moved to the South Central Highlands.

3. Population

According to the 2019 Survey of 53 Ethnic Minorities, there are 17,532 Lao people in Vietnam. Of these, there are 8,991 males and 8,541 females.

4. Language

The language belongs to the Tay - Thai language group (Thai - Kadai language family).

5. Main features

5.1. Housing

Lao houses are usually divided into two main parts. The outside is where the whole family eats, cooks and lives. The inside is a row of private rooms - where parents and children rest. If the house belongs to the head of the family or a shaman, there is also a separate room for worship.

5.2. Clothing

Lao women often wear short shirts (only covering the chest) and long skirts tied across the chest, falling to the calf. The hem of the skirt is embroidered with bright, colorful patterns such as trees, leaves, birds, etc. In addition to short shirts, Lao women's long dresses are also sewn from indigo-dyed fabric, in a four-panel style, open at the chest, buttoned, with a seam in the back. In addition to skirts and shirts, Lao women often have accessories such as: Piêu head scarves, silver hairpins, etc. The traditional costume of Lao men includes: head scarves, scarves, shirts made from indigo or thuy fabric, in a leaf-shaped style without a drawstring, when worn, a belt is tied on the outside.

5.3. Cuisine

Lao people mainly eat sticky rice. Fish, snails, frogs, eels, shrimps, prawns... caught by the sea are favorite foods in daily meals. In addition to the green vegetables grown around the garden and on the fields, Lao people also exploit and collect vegetables, tubers, and fruits from the forest. They like to eat vegetables and fruits that are bitter, sour, and astringent. In addition to salt, they often use "pa-dec" (fish sauce) to season their food. Festivals or meals with guests in the countryside and cities often include fish salad or buffalo or beef salad, called "lap".

5.4. Art

Lao people love to sing and dance, especially traditional folk songs. Lao people have a rich folk literature with many legends, fairy tales, folk songs... Lao folk songs have many types such as lam, xap, kap, an nang xu... with their own nuances of each region and locality. Among them, lam uses many poetic genres that are loved by the masses and popular throughout the country. Lao women not only sing well but are also very good at folk dances. Lao dances are often graceful, rhythmic to the beat of drums, with quite free movements, imbued with national colors. They often use musical instruments such as khen be, drums, tambourines, various types of lutes, flutes...

5.5. Social institutions

Nowadays, the administrative system reaches down to the village level. Each village has a village party cell secretary and a village chief who are the leaders of the village. In addition, there are village elders who are older, prestigious people in the village who have great influence on each individual in the community. People comply with the administrative management of the village level.

5.6. Religion and beliefs

Lao people have polytheistic beliefs, in which ancestor worship is very important to them. Each village has a shaman who specializes in performing rituals when someone is sick or has a funeral. Buddhism has a profound influence on the cultural and social life of Lao people. Lao people follow the Buddhist calendar and celebrate Tet in the fourth lunar month every year.

5.7. Economic conditions

Lao people in Vietnam mainly cultivate wet rice fields combined with slash-and-burn cultivation. Lao people have a clear and strict agricultural calendar regarding the seasons and matters related to intercropping and harvesting. They cultivate two rice crops per year; the winter-spring crop is planted in November, December or early January, the summer-autumn crop is planted in June and July. In addition, people also grow crops, vegetables and herbs... Some places grow corn, cassava and other crops. People also raise livestock and poultry. The Lao people's secondary occupations are very diverse. They make pottery with a turntable with products such as jars, pots, jars, and pots. Weaving is famous for techniques such as plain weaving, knot weaving, and sand weaving, creating many high-value products, demonstrating sophisticated aesthetics. Forging, silver carving... also contribute significantly to the income of many families.

5.8. Educational conditions

According to the 2019 Survey of 53 Ethnic Minorities, the percentage of people aged 15 and over who can read and write in common script is 71.1%; the general school attendance rate of children in primary school is 100.5%; in middle school is 96%; in high school: 48.9%. The percentage of people aged 15 and over who can read and write in their own script is 1.39%. The percentage of Lao ethnic children over 5 years old who go to school is 99.63%. Above is some interesting information about Lao and Vietnamese people. Let's plan to meet and enjoy the culture with Lao people in the near future with iGuide.ai!

Source:
- Ethnic groups in Vietnam (National Political Publishing House Truth);
- Basic characteristics of 54 ethnic minorities in 2019 (Committee on Ethnic Minorities and General Statistics Office);
- Website of the Ethnic Committee, Website of Nhan Dan Newspaper;
- The survey results collect information on the socio-economic status of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam.