Tribasia Blog

We arrived at dusk in Dien Bien Phu, Western Vietnam, on 11th June. This town is famed as a historical battle site which witnessed the defeat of the French colonial forces at the hands of the Viet Minh in 1954 . However, the focus of our visit here remains the minority groups.

Dien Bien is 34 kms away from Laos. When exploring the local markets in town, we met many Black Thai, also known as Thai Tay. Black Thai women look taller than their Viet fellows with their long black skirts, silky long-sleeve tops and towering headdress.

The Black Thai, both men and women, are easy to approach. They are not weary of curious foreigners and happy to smile back.

This group is actually similar in appearance to the Tai Dam from Laos. If you explore the 'Ethnic Groups' section of this website, you will be able to gather further information about this minority under the 'Laos' country tab.

We also witnessed a few Hmongs going around town. They also seem less aggressive in this area - possibly the Lao influence on people... who knows?

Today, we are off exploring the surroundings of Dien Bien and take a closer look at Black Thai and Hmong villages. Back on the bike for a bumpy ride ;0)

P.S. For those of you wishing to get more information about the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, please check the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dien_Bien_Phu

Labels: battle, Black Hmong, Black Thai, Dien Bien Phu, Laos, minorities, Tai Tay