Vietnam is the homeland of many nationalities. It has 54 ethnic groups with about 86 million people, each with its own lifestyle, language, and cultural heritage.
Ethnic minority groups with members numbering upwards of 500,000 include the Thai, Tay, Muong, H’mong, Hoa, Dao and Nung Kinh (or Viet) people make up about 88% of the population.
Several groups straddle today’s international boundaries, spreading across the Indochinese peninsula and up into Southern China. The vast majority of Vietnam’s minorities live in the hilly regions of the Northern part, down the Truong Son mountain range, and in the Central Highlands.