Lao people

1. 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 Census 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).

Lao ethnic women. (Photo: KHIEU MINH)

5. Main features:

- 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.

- Costume: 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 additional accessories such as: piêu headscarves, silver hairpins, etc.

Lao ethnic men's costumes. (Photo: KHIEU MINH)

The traditional costume of Lao men includes: a turban, a scarf, a shirt made of indigo or cotton, a palm-leaf style without a drawstring, worn with a belt tied on the outside.

- Cuisine : Lao people mainly eat sticky rice. Fish, snails, frogs, eels, shrimp, prawns... caught are favorite foods in daily meals. In addition to the source of green vegetables grown around the garden, 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 food. Festivals or meals with guests in both rural and urban areas often include fish salad or buffalo or beef salad, called “lap”.

Lao ethnic women. (Photo: TRAN THANH DAT)

-Art: Lao people love singing and dancing, 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. In particular, lam uses many poetic genres that are popular with the masses and are popular throughout the country.

Lao women are not only good at singing but also very good at folk dancing. 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 panpipes, drums, tambourines, various kinds of zithers, flutes...

- Social institutions: Nowadays, the administrative organization system reaches down to the village level. Each village has a village party cell secretary and village chief who are the leaders of the village. In addition, there are village elders who are older and 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.

- 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 the Lao people. The Lao people follow the Buddhist calendar and celebrate Tet in the fourth lunar month every year.

A dance of the Lao ethnic people. (Photo: TRAN THANH DAT)

- Economic conditions:

Lao people in Vietnam mainly cultivate wet rice 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, and 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 have a wide range of secondary occupations. They make pottery using a wheel, producing products such as jars, pots, and pots. Weaving is famous for techniques such as plain weaving, knot weaving, and sand weaving, creating many valuable products that demonstrate sophisticated aesthetics. Blacksmithing and silver carving also contribute significantly to the income of many families.

-Educational conditions: According to the 2019 Survey of 53 Ethnic Minorities, the rate 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 lower secondary school is 96%; in high school: 48.9%. The rate of people aged 15 and over who can read and write in their own script is 1.39%. The rate of Lao ethnic children over 5 years old who go to school is 99.63%.

(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

- Survey results collect information on the socio-economic status of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam)

● English: Lao ethnic minority group

● French: Laotian

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