The Nung Ethnic Group of Northern Vietnam

Historical, Linguistic and Demographic Foundations

The Nùng are a Central Tai-speaking people found in northeastern Vietnam and across the border in southern China. They are one of the largest ethnic minority communities in Vietnam, with a population of over one million, and share linguistic and cultural affinities with the Tày and Zhuang peoples. Within the broader category of the Nùng, several subgroups are recognised, such as Nùng Inh, Nùng An, Nùng Phàn Slình and Nùng Lòi, each linked to particular historical migrations and regional identities.

Historical waves of migration from Guangxi during the nineteenth century, often driven by droughts and political upheaval, led to the establishment of Nùng communities in the highlands of northern Vietnam. Skilled in agriculture, the Nùng transformed steep, difficult terrain into productive terraced fields and became known for their ability to cultivate challenging soils.

The Nùng are traditionally wet-rice cultivators, but they also raise maize, vegetables and fruit, often in carefully tended home gardens. Citrus, persimmons and bamboo are commonly grown, and local diets reflect both seasonal rhythms and ecological adaptation. Alongside agriculture, the Nùng are noted for artistic traditions such as weaving, basketry, silversmithing and embroidery. Indigo dyeing is particularly significant, with textiles often adorned by motifs symbolising the sun, plants and celestial patterns.

Nùng society has historically been organised through patrilineal lineages, with social and marital customs reinforcing ancestral bonds. Religious life blends animist practices with ancestor veneration and shamanistic ritual, while elements of Buddhism and Confucian ethics also find expression. Compassion and reverence for spiritual guardians, such as the bodhisattva of mercy, shape rituals and seasonal festivals, weaving belief into the everyday life of households and villages.

Regional Expressions: Muong Khuong and the Hoang Su Phi Highlands

Muong Khuong’s Highland Fabric

Muong Khuong District in Lao Cai Province lies among high mountain ridges where villages of the Nùng stand in close proximity to those of neighbouring ethnic groups. Terraced rice fields define the landscape, interspersed with upland gardens of maize and vegetables. Houses are typically built on stilts from timber and clay, positioned near streams or on the edges of cultivated slopes. The weathered timbers of these homes and the cool shade beneath them speak to centuries of life adapted to the mountain environment.

In Muong Khuong, the Nùng community maintains a strong relationship with weaving and embroidery. Textiles coloured with deep indigo and marked by geometric or floral motifs are not only garments but also cultural expressions that transmit ancestral knowledge. The daily sounds of weaving, the scent of dyed fabrics drying in the sun, and the sight of intricate designs coming into being all reveal a cultural life deeply interwoven with the land.

Hoang Su Phi: Terraces and Ethnic Life in Tuyên Quang Province

Hoang Su Phi, which as of 2025 is administered as part of Tuyên Quang Province, occupies a striking landscape of steep slopes and valleys. Rising to altitudes above 1,500 metres, its mountains are celebrated for expansive rice terraces that curve dramatically across the hillsides. The Nùng here represent a significant proportion of the population, living alongside communities of Dao, Hmong and other groups.

Markets are central to community life in Hoang Su Phi. On Sundays, towns and villages become vibrant meeting points where Nùng women, dressed in deep indigo attire embroidered with vivid motifs, exchange goods and stories. The atmosphere is filled with the aroma of cooked rice, drying herbs and fresh produce, while the visual tapestry of baskets, cloth and silver ornaments reflects the creative skills of the artisans.