Lao people

NDO - The Lao ethnic group mainly lives in the Northwest and North Central regions of Vietnam. The Lao people enjoy singing and dancing and have a rich folk literature with many myths, fairy tales, folk songs, etc.

1. Historical origins:

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

2. Geographical distribution:
The Lao ethnic minority mainly lives in the Northwest and North Central regions of Vietnam, such as Lai Chau, Dien Bien , Son La, Ha Tinh, and some have migrated 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, 8,991 are male and 8,541 are female.

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

Lao ethnic women. (Photo: KHIẾU MINH)

5. Key features:

- Housing: A typical Lao house is divided into two main parts. The outer part is where the family eats, cooks, and lives. The inner part consists of a row of separate rooms – the resting place for parents and children. If it's the house of the clan head or a shaman, there may also be a separate room for worship.

- Clothing: Lao women typically wear a short blouse (only covering the chest) and a long skirt that is tied at the chest and falls to the calves. The hem of the skirt is embroidered with bright, vibrant patterns such as leaves, birds, and animals. Besides the short blouse, Lao women also wear a long dress made of indigo-dyed fabric, in a four-panel style, with an open chest, button closure, and a seam at the back. In addition to the skirt and blouse, Lao women often wear accessories such as a headscarf and silver hairpins.

Traditional Lao men's clothing. (Photo: KHIẾU MINH)

The traditional Lao men's attire includes: a headscarf, a shawl, and a shirt made of indigo or woven fabric, in a leaf-shaped style without drawstrings, worn with a belt tied over it.

- Cuisine : Laotians primarily eat sticky rice. Fish, snails, frogs, eels, shrimp, and prawns caught from the forest are favorite foods in their daily meals. In addition to green vegetables grown in their gardens and fields, Laotians also gather various vegetables, roots, and fruits from the forest. They prefer to eat vegetables and fruits with bitter, sour, and astringent flavors.

Besides salt, they often use "pa-đẹc" (fish sauce) to season their food. During festivals or when entertaining guests, both in rural and urban areas, there is often a dish of fish salad or buffalo or beef salad, called "lạp".

Lao ethnic women. (Photo: TRAN THANH DAT)

-Art: Lao people are very fond of singing and dancing, especially traditional folk songs. They have a rich folk literature with many myths, fairy tales, and folk songs. Lao folk songs come in many forms such as lam, khap, kap, an nang xu, etc., each with its own unique characteristics. Among them, lam uses many poetic forms that are popular and widely disseminated throughout the country.

Lao women are not only good singers but also very skilled at folk dances. Lao dances are usually graceful and rhythmic, following the beat of the drums, with quite free movements and a strong ethnic character. They often use musical instruments such as the mouth organ, drums, rice drums, various types of stringed instruments, and flutes.

- Social institutions: Today, the government system extends down to the village level. Each village has a village Party branch secretary and a village head who are the leading figures in the village. In addition, there are village elders, who are older and more respected individuals in the village and have a significant influence on each person in the community. The people comply with the administrative directives of the village level.

- Religion and beliefs: Laotians have a polytheistic belief system, in which ancestor worship is very important. Each village has a shaman who specializes in performing rituals when someone is sick or there is a death in the family.

Buddhism has a profound influence on the cultural and social life of the Lao people. Lao people follow the Buddhist calendar and celebrate the New Year in the fourth lunar month each year.

A traditional Lao dance. (Photo: TRAN THANH DAT)

- Economic conditions:

The Lao people in Vietnam mainly practice wet rice cultivation combined with dry-land farming. They have a clear and strict agricultural calendar regarding planting seasons and intercropping and harvesting. They cultivate two rice crops per year; the spring crop is planted in November, December, or early January, and the autumn crop is planted in June and July. In addition, they grow various vegetables, root crops, and herbs. Some areas grow corn, cassava, and other crops. They also raise livestock and poultry.

Lao people have a rich variety of secondary occupations. They make pottery using a potter's wheel, producing items such as jars, vases, and pots. Their weaving is renowned for techniques such as plain weave, knitted weave, and sand weave, creating many high-value products that showcase refined aesthetics. Blacksmithing and silversmithing also contribute significantly to the income of many families.

- Educational conditions: According to the 2019 Survey of 53 ethnic minorities, the literacy rate of people aged 15 and over in the common script is 71.1%; the overall school attendance rate for children at the primary level is 100.5%; at the lower secondary level is 96%; and at the upper secondary level is 48.9%. The literacy rate of people aged 15 and over in their own ethnic script is 1.39%. The school attendance rate for Lao ethnic children over 5 years old is 99.63%.

(Source:

- Ethnic Groups in Vietnam (National Political Publishing House)

- Basic characteristics of the 54 ethnic minority groups in 2019 (Committee for Ethnic Minorities and General Statistics Office)

- Website of the Committee for Ethnic Minorities

- Results of a survey collecting information on the socio-economic status of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam)

● English: Lao ethnic minority group

● Français: L'ethnie Lào

Source: https://nhandan.vn/dan-toc-lao-post723942.html