Tribasia Blog

After a very sweaty stopover in Thailand to prepare for the next phase of our tribal expeditions, we finally left Bangkok with a few extra visas' stamps on our passports with itchy feet.
We start the second leg of our journey here in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Vietnam counts approximately 86 million people and is the easternmost country in the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. Following a Chinese invasion, French colononization, the infamous Vietnam war in the late sixties and early seventies and armed tensions with its neighbouring countries of Cambodia and China in the late seventies, Vietnam has finally been enjoying more peaceful times as a reunified country. After years of political and economical isolation, the country has opened up again to the region and the world since the 1990s.

In practical terms, the legacy of a divided country can still be felt upon visiting 'South' Vietnam and 'North' Vietnam' - from Hanoi onwards. We decided to focus on the northern part of the country as this is where most of the ethnic minority groups live.

The Viet group -also called Kinh- represents the major component of the Vietnamese population, accounting for over 86% of it. For years, the central authorities alienated minority cultures and attempted at eradicating them by imposing the Viet way of life. This led to a massive exodus of minorities, notably Degar -also known as Montagnards- and Hoa peole, from Vietnam. However, most minorities have unexpectedly struck back through economic revival and -for better and for worse- the avent of tourism in the region.

We will start our excursions of the North this week, join us on the road!

Labels: ethnic minorities, Hanoi, North, Vietnam