(VOVworld) – The Hà Nhì ethnic group has about 21,700 people living in Vietnam’s northwestern provinces bordering China and Laos.
The Ha Nhi live mainly in Lai Chau, Yen Bai, and Lao Cai province. They prefer to live in valleys halfway up the mountain where they have easy access to water for personal use and production. Folklorist Lam Ba Nam says: “The Ha Nhi live in the far north of Vietnam. They have developed typical cultural characteristics including their costumes. Their festivals are shaped by the mountains and their close proximity to nature.”
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| Ha Nhi girls in their traditional costumes |
The houses of the Ha Nhi lean back against the mountain and look out toward the valley, symbolizing accumulation of wealth. From afar, their houses look like mushrooms growing on the mountain side. The houses have earthen walls which keep the interior warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Nguyen Huu Son is an official of the Lai Chau provincial Department of Culture and Information: “The Ha Nhi have developed a unique culture, particularly their earthen-wall houses. The houses show an understanding of, and harmony with, nature. Studying the houses, we can discover the distinctive culture of the Ha Nhi.”
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| Ha Nhi children wear beautiful clothes to celebrate the New Year festival |
The Ha Nhi grow rice and other crops on terraced fields, build dams to store water, and use buffaloes to plough. They usually have a vegetable and fruit garden next to their house. The Ha Nhi women are good at dying fabric, weaving, and making their own clothes. Their clothes are decorated distinctively from other ethnic groups.
The Ha Nhi celebrate many festivals through the year, including the New Year festival and the worshipping of the forest genie to pray for a bumper crop, health, and prosperity. Lam Ba Nam said: “The New Year celebration is an age-old ceremony of the Ha Nhi. They pray for fertility in all things. The festival reflects their unity in protecting and developing their traditional culture.”
The Ha Nhi have a number of distinctive folk songs, dances, musical instruments, and literary works. Despite some cultural mixing with other groups, the Ha Nhi have so far maintained their own traditional customs and culture. We’ll tell you more about the Ha Nhi in future editions of Colorful Vietnam, Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups.