Name of ethnic group: Ha Nhi (U Ni and Xa U Ni). Population: 17,535 people (Year 1999). Locality: Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces.  Customs and habits The Ha Nhi have adopted a sedentary lifestyle. Every year during Tet (New Year's Day), the people of the same lineage get together to listen to an elderly man speak about their ancestors. Young men and women are free to choose their partners. Each marriage goes through two stages. In the first stage, young men and women become husband and wife and take the family name of the husband. The second stage is organized when the couple becomes established and has a child. When a person dies, the bedroom partition of the deceased is dismantled, as well as the altar for their ancestors. The dead body is placed on a bed in the kitchen and a good hour and day must be chosen for the burial ceremony. Culture The Ha Nhi language belongs to the Tibet-Burman Group. The Ha Nhi possess many ancient tales and long versed stories. Young men and...

Name of ethnic group: Gie Trieng (Dgich, Tareh, Giang Ray, Pin, Trieng, Treng Ta Lieng, Ve, La Ve, and Bnoong). Population: 30,243 people (Year 1999). Locality: Kon Tum Province and the mountainous areas of Quang Ninh Province.  Customs and habits The Gie Trieng lives in long houses built on stilts. Houses in the village are arranged in a circle around the Rong (communal house). Young woman decide when they will marry according to their own initiative. The Gie Trieng believes that all beings have a "soul" and a "spirit". Therefore ritual ceremonies and the watching of good and bad omens have prevailed. The sacrifice of buffaloes is a common ritual ceremony. Culture The Gie Trieng language belongs to the Mon-Khmer Group. Costumes Men usually wear loincloths. Women wear skirts long enough to cover their chests and some have adapted to wearing a bra sewn into their skirts. Economy The Gie Trieng lives mainly on the cultivation of the land, hunting, fishing, and gathering.

Name of ethnic group: Hoa (Han). Population: 862,371 people (Year 1999). Locality: The Hoa live in all parts of Vietnam from north to south, in both urban centres and rural regions.  Customs and habits They build houses usually with three rooms and live close together. The families of the same lineage always reside together. In a Hoa family, the husband is the head of the household. The right of inheritance is reserved for the sons only. The eldest son always gets the greater part of the property. Parents decide the marriage arrangement of their children, and early marriages are common. The choices of a husband or a wife are often based on the desires of the family to have equal social standing or are dictated by business considerations. According to customs, funerals must go through several rituals. The cycle starts with informing others of the mourning process, wearing mourning clothes, wrapping the corpse, opening the road for the dead soul, burying the dead, bringing their...