Some characteristics of Ha Nhi’s villages in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam

Abstract

This study shows that the Ha Nhi villages in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam lie in the residential terrain with three different types. Each village has its own name, both in Quan Hỏa (a kind of Chinese dialect) and in Thai. In addition to residential areas, the village has cultivated land, forest, water sources and pasture land. Only villagers have a right to use, develop and manage these natural resources. The most outstanding characteristic of this ethnic group is that they live independently, and rarely live with other ethnic groups in the same village. Every village normally has from three to four kinship lines. These lines have a strong attachment to each other through the ceremony of Chự cư which is held yearly in the New Year, as well as other festivals. Every village is considered as a cultural community and worships the Earth genie. This genie has got the means to protect both the crops and the people. Thanks to the above-mentioned characteristics, the Ha Nhi’s community solidarity and many enclosed aspects of their traditional culture have been maintained until now