The Tay Ethnic Group of Northern Vietnam

Roots and Identity of the Tày People

The Tày people are among the earliest ethnic communities to have settled in northern Vietnam, with origins stretching back over two thousand years. Historically known under different names, their identity today is firmly recognised as Tày, and they are acknowledged as the second largest ethnic minority in Vietnam. Their population extends across the northern provinces, including Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, Bắc Kạn, Thái Nguyên, Quảng Ninh and Bắc Giang, as well as Lào Cai Province, where Sapa is located, and Tuyên Quang Province, where Lam Binh District lies.

The Tày language belongs to the Central Tai branch, sharing linguistic ties with neighbouring Tai groups. Within Sapa, a small community speaks a distinct dialect known as Tày Sa Pa, closely related to other Tai languages of the region. Spiritual life is central to Tày identity. Ancestor worship forms the foundation of their belief system, and the household altar is a place of reverence. Alongside this, many follow Then traditions that honour deities, spirits of mountains and rivers, and the Jade Emperor. These practices tie the rhythms of daily life to the cycles of agriculture and the seasons.

Cultural Life and Regional Expressions

Daily Life, Agriculture and Settlement Patterns in Sapa

In the valleys surrounding Sapa, the Tày have adapted their lives to fertile land and abundant water sources. They are skilled in wet-rice farming, using intricate irrigation channels and communal systems of water management. Houses are often built on stilts beside rivers or streams, raised to protect against flooding and to create ventilated living spaces. Farming tasks remain central to community life; harvesting rice, threshing grain on wooden frames, and carrying crops in woven baskets reflect both practical needs and ceremonial importance.

Traditional clothing is modest, dignified, and usually indigo dyed. Men wear long, four-panelled blouses fastened with fabric buttons, accompanied by loose trousers with high waistbands. Women wear a combination of short and long blouses with skirts or trousers, and finish their dress with scarves or turbans. Silver jewellery is worn occasionally, adding light against the depth of the dark cloth. These garments are understated yet expressive of identity, functionality, and continuity with ancestral ways of life.

Cultural Expressions in Lam Binh

In Lam Binh, within the province of Tuyên Quang, the Tày continue to cultivate rice fields surrounded by mountains and valleys. Their cultural life is rich in seasonal rituals, particularly the Lồng Tồng or “going down to the field” festival, which celebrates the rice growing season and invites prosperity for the year ahead. Music, song, and oral storytelling are vital to cultural continuity. Then songs and luon melodies are performed in communal gatherings, accompanied by traditional instruments, and serve both entertainment and spiritual functions.

Food traditions are also tied to ritual and festivity. Glutinous rice is central, shaped into celebratory cakes such as pẻng rày, sometimes made with ant eggs, which are offered to ancestors and shared within the community. Elevated stilt houses remain the preferred architectural form, offering protection from the elements while fostering communal living. These dwellings, set against the backdrop of Lam Binh’s mountains and rivers, symbolise a life lived in close relation to land and water.

Conclusion

The Tày communities of Sapa and Lam Binh embody a heritage of resilience, harmony, and deep connection to place. Their farming systems, spiritual traditions, architecture, language, and artistic expressions have endured over centuries, reflecting both continuity and adaptation. For those who travel to meet them, the experience is not one of spectacle but of encounter with a living culture that values respect, reciprocity, and community. Whether in the mist-laden valleys of Sapa or the quieter river basins of Lam Binh, the Tày offer an enduring example of life woven carefully with land, ancestry, and tradition.