Top 18 Most Unique Customs and Traditions of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups

Moss-covered stone soup is a specialty dish of the Thai people in the Northwest mountains of Vietnam. For the Thai people, this is an indispensable dish on the dining table for welcoming esteemed guests, along with sour bamboo shoots, kitchen-smoked meat, and it's also a must-have dish on festive occasions. The typical time for moss-covered stone growth is early autumn, around the third lunar month, and it can only be used to cook for 2 to 3 days because moss-covered stone spoils very quickly.

Stone soup with moss is prepared as follows: after crushing and removing all impurities, the moss-covered stone is boiled in chicken broth or bone broth, resulting in a rich and flavorful soup. Grilled moss-covered stone or moss-covered stone salad... are also delicious dishes that showcase the unique flavors of the Thai ethnic group.

When Giay Trieng girls reach the age of marriage, if they are courted by a suitor they like and want to marry, they often go to the forest to find good trees of equal length, cut them down, dry them, and carry them home to stack neatly at the front of the house, or in front of the yard, carefully sheltered in preparation for the auspicious day of bringing them to the groom's house. These bundles of wood are called promise wood by the Giay Trieng people.

Not only do they carry wood for the groom's family but also for the groom's elder brother and sister-in-law who have established their own households. They bring about 20 to 30 bundles to each such family, while the groom's family usually prepares 60 to 70 birds and mice to entertain when the bride's family brings the wood to their home. In addition, the groom's family also gives clothes to those who carry the wood as a token of gratitude. After the wood-carrying day and the invitation to a meal, both sides of the family officially become in-laws, continuing to visit each other according to Vietnamese customs.

The Xip Xi Festival of the Thai and Khang people in the Northwest region is held on the 14th day of the 7th lunar month every year, resembling the 7th lunar month of the Kinh people. This festival is organized to express love for the homeland and gratitude to those who have opened up and established the villages. At the same time, organizing this festival is a beautiful gesture of the Thai and Khang people to preserve the unique cultural identity of their ethnic group.

Ducks are almost the most important offerings in this Xip Xi festival, as the Thai and Khang people believe that ducks are closely associated with paddy fields, streams, and the lives of farmers; offering duck meat is to let ducks eat pests harmful to rice and carry away misfortunes along the flow of rivers and streams.

On this Tet day, people from all walks of life visit each other, exchanging good wishes with a cheerful and hospitable attitude. The festive atmosphere of this Tet day includes a variety of activities for people to enjoy, such as: singing congratulations, teaching life skills, singing on boats, singing to court each other, singing while eating and drinking, and visiting each other...

Come to the Northwest during the Xip Xi Tet, and you will feel the warmth, the unique and diverse features, and the cultural values ​​that are still preserved to this day in the villages of the Thai and Khang people.

Every year during the second lunar month of spring, villages around the Hung Kings Temple hold festivals with the aim of praying for a bountiful harvest, abundant offspring, and prosperity for the community. This festival is called rituals of abundance - the belief of farming communities.

To explain simply, 'rituals of abundance' refer to the growth and prosperity. The symbol of growth and prosperity is the 'phallus'. 'Non' represents the male genitalia, and 'nuong' represents the female genitalia. Therefore, around the Hung Kings Temple, there are many villages worshiping fertility gods - the common symbol of rituals of abundance.

New Rice Eating Ceremony or New Rice Tet of the Xa Pho people also takes place over 3 main days similar to the traditional Tet of the whole country:

• On the first day: the eldest person in the house must build a small platform on the roof, arrange a stone, three cups of wine, three pairs of chopsticks, a boiled egg, three white threads, and a handful of rice then offer prayers to the rice deity. After that, they go alone to harvest some new rice clusters to offer to the ancestors, and before returning, the harvester will stick a taro to ban strangers.
• On the second day: no longer a single person harvesting but both husband and wife of the household go to the fields to cut rice without speaking to each other, and each person will harvest enough for 15 bundles of rice to offer.
• On the third day: the whole family goes to harvest together but still in silence. Only when the rice is harvested and the head of the household raises the taro then people can freely talk to each other.

After 3 days of the ceremony, the host will serve rice to treat everyone, and villagers will come to enjoy the new rice of the family. At this time, the new rice eating festival is considered to be over.

Bamboo tube rice is a type of rice with the main ingredient being rice (usually glutinous rice). All ingredients are put into bamboo tubes or bamboo segments and then grilled over fire. Bamboo tube rice has a rich, sticky, and sweet flavor. This is a characteristic dish of the ethnic groups in the Northwestern and Northeastern regions of Vietnam.

At first glance, bamboo tube rice appears to be simple rice placed in bamboo tubes. However, the process of making a bamboo tube rice is not simple at all. Although the formula and ingredients are few and do not require too much, the selection of ingredients and timing requires the skill of the cook:

• Select fresh bamboo tubes, neither too young nor too old, preferably from October to January. Fresh bamboo tubes are chopped into segments, with each segment becoming a bamboo tube.
• Select glutinous rice. This is a very important step because it determines the stickiness and deliciousness of bamboo tube rice. To make delicious bamboo tube rice, you must choose newly harvested sticky rice, and it must be the right type of sticky rice with large, plump, white grains and a fragrant aroma.
• Clean the rice thoroughly and soak it in water for about 5 to 6 hours, then drain.
• Pour the rice into the bamboo tubes, pour water into the tubes to cover the rice. Do not fill the tubes completely with rice, but leave a little space at the mouth so that the rice will expand and seal the tube when cooked.
• Use banana leaves or dong leaves to tightly cover the mouths of the tubes, then grill them over a fire. When grilling, the tubes must be constantly rotated to prevent them from burning too much and to ensure that the rice grains are cooked evenly. When there is steam coming out of the tube and the aroma of rice, it means the bamboo tube rice is cooked.
• When the rice is cooked, peel off the outer layer of the bamboo to leave a thin layer, which will be peeled off when eating. Bamboo tube rice can be dipped in sesame salt or nam phrik (diluted dipping sauce with a spicy taste of chili, a type of Thai-style dipping sauce). These two types of dipping sauce will contribute to enhancing the aroma and flavor of bamboo tube rice.

After finishing eating bamboo tube rice, new mothers are not allowed to throw away the tubes but instead bundle the bamboo husks together with the hope that their newborn will be protected and healthy in this world and will ascend to heaven to enjoy a beautiful life when they pass away.

Most ethnic groups such as Hmong, Tay, Giay, etc., reside in Sa Pa and live along the Muong Hoa valley, where the Muong Hoa River originates from small streams from the top of Phan-xi-păng mountain. This love market usually takes place on Sundays each week and is located quite far from the town center. In the past, the road to this market was quite dangerous, only suitable for pedestrians and livestock. Therefore, to reach the market via the trail, it took up to half a day. Tourists or people living in the town center who want to visit the love market must start their journey the day before (on Saturday).

From Saturday night to Sunday morning, the love market is often lively and bustling with the participation of elderly people walking around, chatting with each other, and young people having fun together, creating opportunities for two people to come into contact and get to know each other. The special thing is that people here express their feelings through their flutes, their whistles.

However, over time, due to the constant innovation of society, the love market has lost its original beauty, no longer retaining the fresh, traditional atmosphere as it used to be.

But that doesn't mean the Sa Pa love market is no longer worth visiting. Although it has lost its old beauty, today's love market still carries the quintessence of Sa Pa. If you have the opportunity to travel to Sa Pa on weekends, you should visit the love market once. The love market has attracted many tourists with beautiful indigenous products on display. Moreover, on these days, you will hear the beautiful flute sounds that touch the hearts of the young men who have come of age and use their flute sounds to find a girlfriend.

And sometimes, the people of Sa Pa also use the flute for entertainment after hard working days. The sound of Sa Pa flute is a beautiful cultural feature of the H'mong people and needs to be cherished.

The Tradition of Drinking Can Wine is a common and enduring beverage among the indigenous people of the Central Highlands. Drinking can wine has long been ingrained in the customs and traditions of the people here. Can wine is considered a precious liquor, only used on ceremonial days, village festivals, or to entertain guests.

During festivals, the wine is brought out for enjoyment by placing it in a large jar with many small bamboo straws. People sit in a circle and take turns drinking. When the wine in the jar diminishes, more water is added. Therefore, the first sips of can wine are stronger and more potent than later ones.

Can wine is a sweet and fragrant liquor, not one that intoxicates but rather stirs up nostalgia. If you ever have the chance to taste this type of wine, you may find it unforgettable.

The chicken offering tradition is a custom in Chu Hoa commune, Lam Thao, Phu Tho. This tradition dates back to feudal times, performed on the lunar New Year for boys born in that year. After peace was restored, the chicken offering tradition was forgotten. However, for the past 20 years, this tradition has gradually revived and become one of the distinctive customs of the people in Phu Tho at the beginning of each new year.

The chicken offering tradition is maintained and preserved by the Upper and Lower villages and is performed on the 5th day of the Lunar New Year. Families with sons (referred to as Dinh) will choose a chicken weighing around 3-4kg (not a capon) and feed it for 3 days with hot rice mixed with top-quality bran. On the 5th day of the Lunar New Year, the head of the household will slaughter the chicken, blow glutinous rice, and then perform a procession to the village temple. The ritual at the temple begins at 1 am, where an elder or the oldest person in each family will perform the ritual steps. Once the ritual is completed, just as dawn breaks, everyone will organize a competition to see which house's chicken is the most beautiful and robust. The locals believe that the healthier and stronger the chicken, the healthier the newborn boys will be. Finally, the villagers gather to enjoy luck at the temple.

Today, not only the people in the Upper and Lower villages but also people elsewhere in the country can perform the chicken offering ceremony to welcome new members into their families.

The chicken offering tradition in Phu Tho carries a strong religious significance at the village temple of the ancient Vietnamese. By performing this tradition, it seems that humans are already attached to the traditions and customs of the nation, of the homeland, from the moment they are born. This is not only a beautiful tradition of a rural village but also one of the deeply-rooted customs of a region that needs to be preserved and maintained.

In Western Nghe An, the custom of wife capture is still preserved by the local people as a unique cultural trait of their ethnic group. For the H'Mong people in Nghe An province, capturing a wife is seen as elevating the value of women.

The tradition of wife capture among the H'Mong has existed since time immemorial, no one remembers exactly when it began. It is known that when young men and women reach marriageable age, they make arrangements in the fields, amidst the blooming flowers of the four seasons. Spring is the season of courtship, and when love is ripe, the H'Mong people will hold a wedding ceremony. But before the official wedding ceremony, H'Mong couples must go through a very special 'ritual': the young men will attempt to capture and bring the girl they love home.

For the H'Mong people, the custom of capturing a wife is also a way for young men to demonstrate their courage and intelligence. When a young man loves a girl and is reciprocated, moving towards marriage is a mutual decision. However, the act of 'capturing a wife' will be kept secret by the young man, silently planning and executing with the support of his friends.

Bringing the wife home must also be very skillful to ensure the girl's feet do not touch the ground, there is no struggling, no biting, and no injury to the girl. After bringing the wife home, the young man will keep her in his house for three days before officially notifying the girl's family that their daughter is now his wife. According to belief, the more friends participate in the 'capture,' the more determined the pull, the happier and longer-lasting the married couple, the more children they will have...

But over time, this tradition has been distorted into a barbaric practice. Initially, the essence of the tradition was for loving couples, in which the young man sincerely loves and wants to marry the girl. And during the 'wife capture' process, no violence or coercion against the girl was allowed. However, until now, the custom of wife capture is no longer based on that essence. It has become a barbaric practice due to the influence of the bride-snatching custom - after being married to the husband's family, women often become the main laborers. Because they want their children to have additional servants, to have their children rest, without work, many parents in H'Mong ethnic families disregard their underage children and hastily 'capture wives' for their children, even by using violence, coercion. No matter how unwilling the girl is, she cannot return to her parents' house anymore because the H'Mong have a tradition that once a girl has stayed at a boy's house overnight, she can never return to her parents' house. According to current law, wife capture is defined as coercive marriage and illegal detention of individuals. Obviously, this needs to be addressed according to legal provisions.

When a young couple among the E De people fall in love and decide to get married, they inform their families to arrange the engagement ceremony. The bride's family sends an elder relative to the groom's house to discuss the marriage proposal, set a date for the meeting, and prepare to exchange rings (known as trôk kôông). On the agreed-upon day, representatives from the bride's family visit the groom's house to conduct the engagement ceremony. Two respected elders from each side oversee the negotiations. Each representative places a silver ring on a mat. When both sides reach an agreement, they exchange the rings between the young couple. The man and the woman wear their respective rings, symbolizing their commitment. Then, the wedding ceremony follows.

In the event that the man breaks off the engagement, refusing to marry, he must compensate the woman with a valuable item and provide a sacrificial ceremony (a pig).

During springtime, ethnic groups like Chu Ru, Co Ho, Cil, Giẻ Triêng... in the Central Highlands engage in the festival of 'bride hunting.' The tradition of 'bride hunting' among the people of the Central Highlands bears resemblance to the bride abduction custom of the northern mountainous communities, with the difference that here, it is the women who go 'bride hunting' instead of men going to 'bride kidnapping.' Firewood is one of the ceremonial offerings used in the 'bride hunting' ritual.

As Lunar New Year approaches, the Chu Ru, Cil, Co Ho, and other ethnic groups in the Central Highlands prepare for the 'bride hunting' festival. The ceremony must take place at night. When a young woman fancies a particular young man, she informs her family and clan. The girl's family then visits the young man's house to propose. If both families agree, the girl will come to put a ring on the young man's finger on a beautiful night. In case the young man is not interested, he can return the ring, but seven days later, the girl will choose another beautiful night to offer the ring to the young man again, repeating the process until he accepts.

One day before the wedding, the village holds a ceremony called the 'Bride Hunting Night Festival.' During this festival, the young man and woman recite some unique customary laws of their community, such as: 'In searching for a wife or husband, one must consult one's parents; in working the fields, one must consult the ears of the buffalo and oxen; in setting traps, one must consult the mountain god; returning to one's wife is like returning to water...' On the wedding day, the young man and woman remove their rings, kiss them, and exchange them. After seven days of marriage, the woman removes her ring and hands it to her mother-in-law for safekeeping, while the young man's ring is kept by the girl's mother.

Most of the ethnic groups practicing this tradition follow a matriarchal system. Therefore, after the man is 'brought' to his wife's house, he has no authority within the family.

'Stealing luck' on New Year's Eve is a rather peculiar custom of the Lô Lô ethnic group in Đồng Văn district, Hà Giang province.

The Lô Lô people believe that at the transition from the old year to the new year, if someone brings something home, the family will encounter many auspicious events. Hence, stealing on New Year's Eve is considered by the Lô Lô people as 'stealing luck.' Interestingly, when stealing... on New Year's Eve, the Lô Lô people truly 'steal,' quietly, without accompanying each other, and without getting caught by the homeowner. And once they steal, it must be done thoroughly, like pulling garlic without breaking it.

However, this custom of stealing luck is not as sinister as the name 'stealing' implies. When the Lô Lô people go stealing luck, they do not take much, nor do they take valuable items, but only things like onions, garlic, vegetables,...

On New Year's Eve in the villages of the Lô Lô people, every household 'steals,' and everyone is a 'thief,' although it is stealing, no law intervenes, and it has become an indispensable tradition for the Lô Lô people to welcome the Lunar New Year.

Among the Cơ Tu people, there exists a custom unique to this ethnic group, known as the tradition of sleeping on the balcony (known as lướt zướng). This tradition carries a message of enduring love between Cơ Tu couples, ensuring that their love persists over time.

The 'sleeping balcony' is constructed either in the fields or at the edge of the forest, referred to as a 'house' although it is essentially a temporary shelter made from leaves and branches. The existence of this structure is known throughout the village and is referred to by the Cơ Tu people as the 'sleeping balcony house.'

Depending on each Cơ Tu couple, the duration of sleeping on the balcony can range from 3 to 5 nights or even longer, allowing them the freedom to get to know each other without secrecy or concealment. Before marriage, many young Cơ Tu men and even women have engaged in this tradition with various partners.

While Cơ Tu couples have the freedom to explore their compatibility, the customs of the Cơ Tu also dictate strict consequences for instances of promiscuity or premarital pregnancy. In such cases, depending on the severity of the transgression, the young man is often heavily penalized, with the village mandating that he must sacrifice pigs, or sometimes even buffalo or cattle, distributing portions to each family in the village as a form of confession and restitution. Sometimes, he must compensate the bride's family with jewelry or other valuables, or bear a debt passed down through generations, and in extreme cases, face social ostracization. As for the pregnant girl, she is expelled from the village, forced to live deep in the forest with no contact with others. These severe penalties have long been ingrained in the collective consciousness of the Cơ Tu people. Therefore, every time they practice the tradition of sleeping on the balcony, they understand the importance of moderation, mutual respect, maintaining their personal values, and adhering to the ethical values of their ethnic group.

Among the ethnic minorities in Thanh Hoa such as the Thai, Hmong, Dao, and Muong, there exists a very distinctive and interesting custom known as the sleeping visit tradition, aimed at finding a spouse.

When young girls come of age, they would light a lamp in their room at night, let down the curtain, and lie down waiting for the young men they admire to come for a 'sleeping visit.' If the lamp in the girl's room is still lit, it means no one has come for a 'sleeping visit' yet, and the young man can enter. However, he must push the door open himself as no one in the girl's house will open it for him. Upon entering the girl's room, the two will lie side by side in a 'shared blanket, shared pillow' fashion. However, it's important to note that they are not allowed to touch each other, only lie side by side and converse. After 5-6 visits for a 'sleeping visit,' the girl has the right to decide whether the young man is allowed to come for a 'sleeping real' visit.

Once the decision to 'sleep real' has been made, the young man and the girl must inform both families for them to check if the two are compatible. If they are, the 'sleeping real' period begins. This is when the young man must come to work for the girl's family. He works during the day and sleeps together with the girl he loves at night. During the 'sleeping real' period, the young man is not allowed to return to his own parents' home. If he wishes to go home, he must obtain permission from the girl's family. If, after the 'sleeping real' period, the girl no longer has feelings for the young man, she will pack his clothes into a bundle along with a pack of rice and say, 'You can go home now!' This indicates that the young man has not won the girl's heart.

In order to visit for a sleeping visit at the girl's house, the young man must be approved by the girl's family. If the girl's family disapproves of the young man, they will advise their daughter not to marry him. If the girl still insists on marrying him, the girl's family will reluctantly accept.

The Hmong people (Lai Chau) have a tradition of chin tattooing for young men and women aged 12-18, marking the coming of age within the community. The chin tattoo symbolizes the strength of the supreme being's protection, assisting individuals against the supernatural world and seeking gentle and responsible qualities for women.

Those who receive chin tattoos feel proud and joyful, knowing that after this ritual, they have become adults, having a voice within the community and earning more respect from everyone.