Hmong Tribe customs & Quizz !

I have so far talked about 3 different tribes that live in the Northwest of Vietnam. Basically Hmong's and D'zao speak different language even if they share villages sometimes : they all (thoso who go to school...) learn vietnamese in school now and use vietnamese to understand each other.

No matter howw good they look in the pictures and how welcoming these people are, the minor tribes who live in the mountains in the north are often despised by "vietnamese" (understand northern-vietnamese) who look down on them. It is extremely hard for them to start an actual business in Sapa, all the travel agencies run by vietnamese coming from the big cities are taking advantage of the local people and underpaying them to guide tourists around. Some Hmongs (and probably D'zao's too) have tried to start businesses but vietnamese authorities ask for ridiculous amounts of money to buy the licences and all the hopes are vanished.

The despise for these local people goes as far as treating them as "cat-people", a vietnamese mum told his son to finish his food or "cat-people" would eat it. In many cases, vietnamese won't even try their food, considering it as "dirty".

And honestly, we've met many Hmong's and D'zao people and they are the most lovable people we've met in Vietnam, welcoming and friendly....and those who could speak better english too ! Smart people....

Here goes a short reminder :

- D'zao : Women wear a red foulard on their head and have the forward part of their head shaved. We saw them in Ta Phin village.

- Flower Hmong (Hmong La in Hmong language, la standing for colorful) : You may remember them, from Can Cau market and the Bac Ha region. They wear extremely colorful dresses and live around the Bac Ha region.

- Hmong : (Hmong Ru) I refer to them as Hmongs, but it is the Hmongs that we find around the Sapa region (Khu and Bao belong to this tribe). It is with them that we have had the chance to exchange more given their higher level in english and the time spent with them. There are some interesting facts about them.

They wear blue indigo jacket and skirts, and have the head covered (optional) by either a hat or a scarf. Indigo is made rubbing a plant and mixing it into water. Bao was showing this to me on this picture, and I had the hand blue for a couple of days !

As for the other tribes, women are in charge of the knitting and some field work and men take care of the buffaloes and responsible for killing the animals when the occasion to eat meat arises.

They eat meat in rare occasions such as when they have family over for lunch; rice, corn and cucumber being the basis of their daily diet.

Religion : some are catholic (Bao) or christians, converted probably by the french during their stay in the region. Most of them remain "chaman" (phonetical transcription), believing in a life after this life and worshipping a spirit.

We have also met some women that told us about their own experience. In particular this woman who had 4 kids, only boys. Her husband wasn't happy with that and married another woman, bringing her into the same house.

We have been wondering since the begining of our stay what did some women have on their forehead : Bets are on !

Whoever gets closer to the real meaning will get a vietnamese souvenir !

You can answer by email or comment. Answer on July 10th !