Demographics of Vietnam - Ethnic Groups

Ethnic Groups

See also: List of ethnic groups in Vietnam

The Vietnamese government recognizes 54 ethnic groups, of which the Viet (Kinh) is the largest; according to official Vietnamese figures (1999 census), ethnic Vietnamese account for 86% of the nation's population. The ethnic Vietnamese inhabit a little less than half of Vietnam, while the ethnic minorities inhabit the majority of Vietnam's land (albeit the least fertile parts of the country).

The Khmer Krom are found in the delta of the Mekong River, in the south of Vietnam, where they form in many areas the majority of the rural population. They live in an area which was previously part of Cambodia and which Vietnam conquered in the 17th and 18th centuries. Official Vietnamese figures put the Khmer Krom at 1.3 million people. However, estimates vary from 1.1 to 7 million.

Vietnam's approximately 1 million ethnic Chinese, constitute one of Vietnam's largest minority groups. Long important in the Vietnamese economy, Vietnamese of Chinese ancestry have been active in rice trading, milling, real estate, and banking in the south and shopkeeping, stevedoring, and mining in the north. Restrictions on economic activity following reunification in 1975 and the subsequent but unrelated general deterioration in Vietnamese-Chinese relations sent chills through the Chinese-Vietnamese community.

The relation between China and Vietnam also declined in this period, with Vietnam siding with the Soviet Union against China in the Chinese-Soviet split. Tensions peaked when Vietnam invaded Cambodia, an ally of China, to depose Pol Pot, resulting in a Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 1979. In 1978-79, some 450,000 ethnic Chinese left Vietnam by boat as refugees (many officially encouraged and assisted) or were expelled across the land border with China. However in recent years the government has performed an about turn and is encouraging overseas Hoa to return and invest.

The central highland peoples commonly termed Degar or Montagnards (mountain people) comprise two main ethnolinguistic groups--Malayo-Polynesian and Mon–Khmer. About 30 groups of various cultures and dialects are spread over the highland territory.

Other minority groups include the Cham--remnants of the once-mighty Champa Kingdom, conquered by the Vietnamese in the 15th century, Hmong, and Tai ("Thái").

Population of Vietnam according to ethnic group 1989-2009
Ethnic
group
Language
family
census 1989 census 1999 census 2009
Number % Number % Number %
Kinh Vietic 56,101,583 87.1 65,795,748 86.2 73,594,427 85.7
Tày Tai-Kadai 1,145,235 1.8 1,477,514 1.9 1,626,392 1.9
Thai Tai-Kadai 992,809 1.5 1,328,725 1.7 1,550,423 1.8
Mường Vietic 874,195 1.4 1,137,515 1.5 1,268,963 1.5
Khmer Mon-Khmer 872,382 1.4 1,055,174 1.4 1,260,640 1.5
Mong Hmong-Dao 787,604 1.0 1,068,189 1.2
Nùng Tai-Kadai 696,305 1.1 856,412 1.1 968,800 1.1
Hoa Chinese 961,702 1.5 862,371 1.1 823,071 1.0
Dao Hmong-Dao 620,538 0.81 751,067 0.87
Gia Rai Malayo-Polynesian 317,557 0.42 411,275 0.48
Ê Đê Malayo-Polynesian 270,348 0.35 331,194 0.39
Ba Na Mon-Khmer 174,456 0.23 227,716 0.27
Xơ Đăng Mon-Khmer 127,148 0.17 169,501 0.20
Sán Chay Tai-Kadai 147,315 0.19 169,410 0.20
Cờ Ho Mon-Khmer 128,723 0.17 166,112 0.19
Chăm Malayo-Polynesian 132,873 0.17 161,729 0.19
Sán Dìu Chinese 126,237 0.17 146,821 0.17
Ra Glai Malayo-Polynesian 96,931 0.13 122,245 0.14
M'Nông Mon-Khmer 92,451 0.12 102,741 0.12
Xtiêng Mon-Khmer 66,788 0.09 85,436 0.10
Bru-Vân Kiều Mon-Khmer 55,559 0.07 74,506 0.09
Thổ Vietic 68,394 0.09 74,458 0.09
Khơ Mú Mon-Khmer 56,542 0.07 72,929 0.08
Hrê Mon-Khmer 113,111 0.15 63,012 0.07
Cơ Tu Mon-Khmer 50,458 0.07 61,588 0.07
Giáy Tai-Kadai 49,098 0.06 58,617 0.07
Giẻ Triêng Mon-Khmer 30,243 0.04 50,962 0.06
Tà Ôi Mon-Khmer 34,960 0.05 43,886 0.05
Mạ Mon-Khmer 33,338 0.04 41,405 0.05
Co Mon-Khmer 27,766 0.04 33,817 0.04
Chơ Ro Mon-Khmer 22,567 0.03 26,855 0.03
Xinh Mun Mon-Khmer 18,018 0.02 23,278 0.03
Chu Ru Malayo-Polynesian 14,978 0.02 19,314 0.02
Lao Tai-Kadai 11,611 0.02 14,928 0.02
Kháng Mon-Khmer 10,272 0.01 13,840 0.02
La Chí Tai-Kadai 10,765 0.01 13,158 0.02
Hà Nhì Tibeto-Burman 17,535 0.02 10,923 0.01
La Hủ Tibeto-Burman 6,874 0.01 9,651 0.01
La Ha Tai-Kadai 5,686 0.01 8,177 0.01
Pà Thẻn Hmong-Dao 5,569 0.01 6,811 0.01
Chứt Vietic 3,829 0.01 6,022 0.01
Lự Tai-Kadai 4,964 0.01 5,601 0.01
Phù Lá Tibeto-Burman 9,046 0.01 5,535 0.01
Mảng Mon-Khmer 2,663 0.00 3,700 0.00
Cờ Lao Tai-Kadai 1,865 0.00 2,636 0.00
Bố Y Tai-Kadai 1,864 0.00 2,273 0.00
Lô Lô Tibeto-Burman 3,307 0.00 2,218 0.00
Cống Tibeto-Burman 1,676 0.00 2,029 0.00
Ngái Chinese 4,841 0.01 1,035 0.00
Si La Tibeto-Burman 840 0.00 709 0.00
Pu Péo Tai-Kadai 705 0.00 687 0.00
Rơ Măm Mon-Khmer 352 0.00 436 0.00
Brâu Mon-Khmer 313 0.00 397 0.00
Ơ Đu Mon-Khmer 301 0.00 376 0.00
Foreigners 39,532 0.05 2,134 0.00
Others 2,767,512 4.3 1,333 0.0 82,942 0.0
Total 64,411,713 76,323,173 85,846,997

Read more about this topic:  Demographics Of Vietnam

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