Discover Vietnam’s Ethnicities Central Vietnam II

Learn about diverse ethnic groups living in Central Vietnam. Part 2 of our 2-part series.

By Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The K Ho by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The Precious Heritage Project

Over the course of nearly a decade, the French photographer Réhahn researched and photo-documented all 54 official ethnic groups in Vietnam, with the hope of increasing the public’s understanding of tribal culture in the country.

The Cham by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The Precious Heritage Collection

The final collection of full-color portraits of tribal members in their traditional garments, alongside artifacts, heritage crafts, and stories is on display in the Precious Heritage Museum in Hoi An, Vietnam.

CENTRAL VIETNAM

In this virtual exhibit, you’ll have the opportunity to discover one-of-a-kind stories, tribal textiles, and portraits from Central ethnic groups the H'Re, M'Nong, Ede, Xo Dang, Jrai, & Co Tu ethnic groups

The Hre by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The H're

The H'Re live in social units of up to 100 families.

The Hre by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

Their traditional dress is dark indigo with embroidered patterns. A few local women, who expressed their wish to have a communal crafting house, continue to hand-make it.

The Mnong by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The M'nong

The M'Nong live in two regions in Vietnam - Binh Phuoc near Ho Chi Minh City, and Dak Lak in the Central Highlands.

The Mnong by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The two groups have very different rituals. The Dak Lak M'Nong maintain a special relationship with elephants, considering them to be family and community members.

The Ede by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The Ede

The Ede ethnic group is organized in a matrilineal society. Their homes have a distinct architectural style, some reaching up to 100m long.

The Ede by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

Traditional Ede male clothing is unusually sophisticated (compared to other ethnic groups in Vietnam) and filled with subtle details.

The Xo Dang by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The Xo Dang

A Dip, the 76-year-old man in this portrait, belongs to the To Dra, a subgroup of the Xo Dang ethnic group.

The Xo Dang by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

He is the only artisan left in his village who can still make the tribe's bamboo baskets and play the traditional instruments of the To Dra people.

The Jarai by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The Jrai

The Jrai or Jarai tribe is of Austronesian/Malay-Polynesian descent. They follow a matrilineal culture, tracing their family line through the mother, rather than the father.

The Jarai by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The Jarai are known for their carved wooden masks and sculptures used in ancestral worship and funerals.

The Co Tu by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

The Co Tu

The Co Tu are organized into two groups - Lowland and Highland. They have a robust practicing culture, with crafting methods passed down through generations.

The Co Tu by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

Co Tu Song

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For centuries they wore clothing made from tree bark, which has now mostly replaced with cotton.

The Co Tu by RéhahnPrecious Heritage Art Gallery Museum

Read more about Vietnam's diverse tribal cultures in the article "Discover Vietnam's Ethnicities - Central Vietnam, Part 1."

Credits: Story

Text by Réhahn with Molly Headley

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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