Inland Populations: Identities of the Highlands

In the Northern provinces and in the heart of the Central Highlands, dozens of ethnic groups (Hmong, Dao, Thai, Tày, Nùng, M'Nông, and others) live, each with their own languages, clothing, and distinct beliefs. They speak of ancestors, nature spirits, and seasons – all of which regulate their agricultural calendar and the sudden songs of mountain mists.

They are not "attractions"; they are living communities. In remote villages, the stilt houses protect against the cold and humidity; the roofs are made of sheet metal or leaves, and the dirt floors are often raised; the harvest is not only food, but also an occasion for rituals, festivals, and the passing down of stories.

Cultivation that Tells the Story of the Land

In the high altitudes where the fog touches the leaves in the morning, the land is the base of life: terraced rice, corn, sweet potatoes, medicinal herbs, and high-altitude tea.

• In the province of Lai Châu, the Hmong, Dao, and Thai communities are transforming their own cultivation: no longer just for subsistence, but with cooperation, branding, commerce, packaging, and even online sales. Báo Công Thương

• In the Kon Tum area, intercropped cultivation (macadamia, annanas, ginger) is being experimented with to increase the value of the harvest and reduce the environmental impact.

• These cultivations are not only for feeding themselves: they are also a means to stay, remain on their own land, preserve forests and ecosystems, and maintain Languages and traditions.

Craftsmanship: Memory, Everyday Art

Craftsmanship is the thread that weaves together past and present. Embroidered fabrics, brocades, carvings, objects in bamboo and rattan, forged knives, hand-painted scarves, decorations that recount life, dreams, and the surrounding nature.

• In H'Mong villages, artisans create traditional costumes, embroideries, and brocades that are used not only for ceremonies but also for markets, for tourists, and for personal use.

• In regions where silk is produced, the cultivation of the mulberry tree, the breeding of silkworms, and weaving are linked to daily life. Agriculture and craftsmanship intertwine: mulberry leaves feed the silkworms, and production waste becomes material for artisan objects.

A Vietnam in Transformation

All of this – cultivations, craftsmanship, the identities of the people – is not static. It changes, evolves. With young people who are learning how to package herbs, apply labels, and sell via the internet. Cooperatives that seek to preserve biodiversity while simultaneously bringing products to national and international markets. With programs that aim to support sustainable agriculture, improve infrastructure, and provide resources and support to mountain communities.

There is a Vietnam that doesn't show up in the brochures: the one of the voices, the gestures, the hands that intertwine, of high-mountain rice fields, and of the communities who smile not for the photocamera, but for the simple act of sharing a cup of tea, a story, a slice of their life.

A Vietnam That Unveils, That Surprises

If you look beyond the postcard, you discover that Vietnam is a land of ancient hands that continue to create, of tea flowers that bloom just beneath the clouds, of artisans who weave stories onto fabric, of cultivators who understand that true richness is not just in the product, but in how they care for it and share it.

Because beauty isn't only in the perfect landscape, but in the detail: in the fabric that smells of indigo, in the harvest that becomes a celebration, in the smile born from sharing an ancient craft.

VIETNAM: BEYOND THE POSTCARD

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H'Mong creating traditional costumes

Hmong Ethnic Group

Lai Châu Province

Cooperatives for biodiversity

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