Muong People – Everything about Muong Ethnic Group in Vietnam

In the 54 ethnic communities of Vietnamese people, the Muong ethnic group rank 4^th among the largest ethnic in Vietnam. The Muong people have very close relations with the Kinh and residing in the Northern provinces, the highest density is in the Hoa Binh province and some mountainous districts of the Thanh Hoa province. The cultural identity of the Muong ethnic cultures associated with the Hoa Binh culture more than a thousand years ago. The Muong have the same origins as the Kinh, therefore, their language is in the Muong-Vietnamese group.

Economic Features of Muong People

The Muong residents primarily grow wet rice and some of them also grow corn, cassava.  Breeding is attached special importance to development.  The main livestock is cattle and poultries. The significant economic resources of the Muong family are exploiting products of forest including mushrooms, jew’s ear, cardamom, lac, cinnamon, honey, wood, bamboo, rattan … The typical crafts of the Muong are weaving, knitting, reeling.

Customs & Habits of Muong People

The Muong people have a habit of residing in the mountainous areas, where have many productive lands, near roads, convenient for business activities. Visiting the villages of the Muong people, we will see the houses on stilts leaning on the hills, facing the green fields, orchards around the house. House on stilts is a traditional house of the Muong people, designed especially convenient for living beside the functions for residence and storage, preventing predators, snakes, centipedes, and suitable for hot and humid climatic conditions in the mountains, the dwelling of the Muong people is a place to preserve the cultural identity, educate members in the family. The Muong people use a very special bamboo calendar type. They not only use a bamboo calendar for agricultural production but also use it in the important events of a lifetime.

Costume of Muong People

Comparing to the other ethnic groups, the traditional costume of the Muong are simpler but still are very characteristic. Muong people have the skirt dying technique quite meticulously, creating durable fabric color but very high gloss.

Men usually wear indigo short or long shirt, buttoned on one side, long pants, wide belts wrapped around the waistband, top bun, wrap long scarf, head scarf sideways holster, later also used as turban wrap of the Kinh. Most women’s dress is woven by hand, decorated with knitting fabric, dying. The Muong women wear a long, black dress and a white or brown shirt with a line of buttons in the front and long sleeves. They wind a white or indigo headscarf around the head. The high spot in the Muong costume is embroidered on the dress hem and belt. It has a need for skillful and artistic ability to design the patterns and harmonize the colors of the costume.

Cultures of Muong Ethnic Group

The Muong have a treasure of rich folk music with genres such as long poetry, “mo”, fairy tale, folk, “Dum”, proverbs.  The Muong also has lullaby, rhyme, and singing quiz. “Gong” is a characteristic musical instrument of the Muong ethnic, in addition to this, flute, drum, pan-pipe Lu. The best features of this type are the tunes of folk songs Muong. Besides, “Stealing wife” is one of the special cultures of the Muong which people still keep up to now.