UNIT 4.

ETHNIC GROUPS OF VIET NAM

B. VOCABULARY and GRAMMAR
I. Match the word or phrase with its definition.
1. livestock a. work like planting, growing, watering, weeding, and harvesting
2. costume b. a group of people that has different national or cultural traditions from
the majority of the population
3. terraced field c. animals and birds, such as cows, pigs, chickens, that are kept on a farm
4. stilt house d. a traditional dance in which performers mimic a lion’s movements in a
lion costume.
5. ethnic minority e. the largest stilt house in the village where village ceremonies and
festivals take place
6. folk dance f. clothes that are typical of a particular place
7. communal house g. a house raised on piles over the surface of the soil
8. gardening h. a traditional dance of a particular area or country
9. gong i. a field that is on the side of a hill and divided into layers that look like
steps
10. lion dance j. a metal disc that makes a loud deep sound when it is hit with a stick

II. Complete the sentences with the words or phrases from the box.
terraced fields costume stilt houses weaving ethnic minorities
unique bamboo speciality wooden statue folk dances

1. The Nung mostly live in ____________________ though they also live in earthen houses.
2. Five-colour sticky rice is well known as a ____________________ of the north-western region of
Viet Nam.
3. Known as the Rong, the communal building was traditionally made from wood and ____________.
4. It’s interesting to learn about the ____________________ features of each ethnic group.
5. Mua xoe and mua sap are popular ____________________ of Thai ethnic minority people.
6. The ____________________ of the Nung is not as colourful as that of other ethnic groups.
7. Basket ____________________ is one of many traditional crafts in this mountainous area.
8. There’s a big ____________________ of our hero at the entrance of our village.
9. Sa Pa is famous for the ____________________ located in the mountainous area.
10. ____________________ make up between 10 to 15 percent of the population in Vietnam.

III. Choose the best expression In response to each sentence.

1. ‘Is it true that Y Moan was the greatest pop singer of the Ede?’ - ‘_______’
a. Really? b. How beautiful! c. Come on! d. Exactly.
2. ‘Look at this dish, Nick. It has five colours.’ - ‘_______’
a. How nice! b. What a shame! c. Sounds bad. d. Okay.
3. ‘In some ethnic groups, women play the leading role in the family.’ - ‘_______’
a. Well, of course. b. I don’t think so.
c. Wow, that’s surprising! d. It’s all right.
4. ‘After a 20 day homestay tour, I can use chopsticks, harvest rice, and cook some Vietnamese dish.’ -
‘_______’
a. Yeah, I’d like to. b. That’s awesome! c. It’s wrong. d. No problem.
5. ‘The ethnic minorities are mainly concentrated In Northern Uplands and Central Highlands.’ -
‘_______’
a. Oh, I see. b. So far so good. c. How convenient! d. Almost certainly.
6. ‘I have two tickets to a gong performance. Would you like to go?’ - ‘_______ What time?’
a. Sorry, I can’t. b. Not very good. c. Yes, I’d like that. d. Never mind.
7. ‘Let’s go to the local open-air market.’ - ‘_______’
a. Good idea. b. I’d love to. c. Not at all. d. Yes, of course.
8. ‘Tomorrow we will go to Coc Ly market. You can buy lots of handmade items there.’ – “_______”
a. What a pity! b. How interesting! c. How thoughtful! d. Well done.

IV. Change the sentences into Yes / No questions.

1. Sapa is one of the top attractions in Northern Vietnam.
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. The traditional sticky rice of the Tay ethnic group has five colours.
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Women play the leading role in the family in some ethnic groups.
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. Henry can use chopsticks skilfully after a 20-day tour in Viet Nam.
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. The ethnic minorities mainly live in Northern Uplands and Central Highlands.
__________________________________________________________________________________
6. I didn’t attend the Ban Flower Festival in Dien Bien when I travelled there.
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. The local people will teach tourists to play gong and bamboo flute.
__________________________________________________________________________________
8. They bought lots of handmade items when they visited the local market.
__________________________________________________________________________________
9. We’re going to harvest the rice on the paddy fields with other villagers.
__________________________________________________________________________________
10. There were a lot of stilt houses in ethnic minority villages in the past.
__________________________________________________________________________________

V. Complete each sentence with a suitable question word.

1. ____________ ethnic group has larger population, Cho Ro or Chu Ru? ~ Cho Ro.
2. ____________ groups of languages do all ethnic groups speak? ~ Eight groups.
3. ____________ is the biggest house in the village? ~ It’s the communal house.
4. ____________ arts are displayed in a museum in Da Nang city? - The Cham’s.
5. ____________ do the San Diu mainly live? ~ In Quang Ninh province.
6. ____________ do the Thai hold ceremonies to worship their ancestors? ~ Every year.
7. ____________ is the village chief of the Phu La? ~ The oldest man.
8. ____________ is it from here to the communal house? ~ Just about one kilometre.
9. ____________ did you visit Sa Pa? ~ Because I wanted to go for a trek in Fansipan.
10. ____________ do they cook five-colour sticky rice? ~ On special occasions.
VI. Change each sentence into a question using the question words in brackets.
1. The girl with a shawl on her head is a member of the Thai. (who)
________________________________________________________________________________
2. The Khmer have three main festivals in a year. (how many)
________________________________________________________________________________
3. Odu is the smallest ethnic group in Viet Nam. (which)
________________________________________________________________________________
4. Ok Om Bok Festival is the biggest festival of Khmer people. (what)
________________________________________________________________________________
5. We can find terraced fields in the northern mountainous regions. (where)
________________________________________________________________________________
6. Bom Bo village is about 200 kilometres from Ho Chi Minh City. (how far)
________________________________________________________________________________
7. They built their houses on stilts to prevent flooding from tides or storms. (why)
________________________________________________________________________________
8. The population of the Tay ethnic group is about 1.7 million. (what)
________________________________________________________________________________
9. It usually takes about 5 hours to drive to Lao Cai from Ha Noi. (how long)
________________________________________________________________________________
10. The M’nong mainly live in Dak Lak province. (where)
________________________________________________________________________________

VII. Put the nouns in the box in the correct columns.

information, land, crop, instrument, nature, tree, group,
ash, place, culture, area, rice, water, costume,
gardening, mountain, field, clothing, festival, soil
Countable nouns Uncountable nouns
VIII. Underline the correct answer.
1. Vietnam is a / an / a few multiethnic country with 54 ethnic groups.
2. A number of ethnic minorities had mastered much / a little /some farming techniques.
3. How some / many / much information about the Ba Na have you collected?
4. The Rong house of the Xo Dang is a big stilt house with a high roof which looks like a / an / some
axe.
5. I need a / a few / a little time to think about which ethnic group I want to present.
6. How many / much /few ethnic groups live in the southern regions of Viet Nam?
7. There’s many / a lot of / a few land to grow crops in this lowland area.
8. The tour guide introduced a little / a few / much important celebrations of the Khmer.
9. The young Co Ho women play a / an / a little active role in marriage.
10. How many / much / little water should we use to make the five-colour sticky rice?
11. Tourists can learn some / a / a little popular folk dances during this trip.
12. The local market sells much / lots of / a little specialities of the Bru-Van Kieu.

IX. Fill in each blank with a/an, much, many, a little, or a few.
1. How _____________ water should I add to my noodles to make it less dry?
2. Could you give me _____________ information about ethnic groups in the Central Highlands?
3. Mua sap is _____________ traditional folk dance of the Muong.
4. Gongs have _____________ different sizes with diameter ranging from 20cm to 120cm.
5. There are only _____________ people who know how to play bamboo flute in my village.
6. Gathering and hunting still play _____________ important role in the economy of the La Ha.
7. We were afraid that not many people will come, so we only made _____________ sticky rice.
8. Those tourists don’t have _____________ knowledge about this mountainous region.
9. They can only grow _____________ crops because their farming techniques are bad.
10. Because of urbanisation, there aren’t _____________ stilt houses left in the village.

X. Complete the sentence with the correct form of the words in brackets.
1. Many ethnic groups managed to live together _____________. (peace)
2. The tourists hope to join the Gong Festival _____________. (celebrate)
3. The _____________ of people in Viet Nam belong to the Kinh people. (major)
4. The _____________ house is the place where village ceremonies and festivals take place.
(commune)
5. Among ethnic _____________ groups, the least populated are Brau, Roman, Odu with several
hundred people each. (minor)
6. Five-colour sticky rice is a traditional _____________ of Tay people. (special)
7. H’mong people live in the northern _____________ region of Viet Nam. (mountain)
8. The Tai are known for their traditional _____________ and their houses on stilts. (weave)
9. The Raglai have a _____________ instrument made of bamboo called the chapi. (music)
10. Muong people are _____________ more closely related to the Tai people. (culture)

XI. Complete each sentence with an appropriate preposition.

1. Nick is curious _____________ the ethnic minortity groups in Viet Nam.
2. The Tay ethnic group likes living very close _____________ nature.
3. The M’Nong live in houses built _____________ stilts.
4. The Hmong live mostly _____________ the mountainous regions _____________ the north.
5. The M’Nong in Ban Don are well known _____________ their elephant hunting and dosmetication.
6. Many ethnic minority students are studying _____________ boarding schools.
7. The Thai have a population _____________ about one and a half million people.
8. Tay language belongs _____________ the Tay-Thai language group.
9. The communal house is used _____________ village meetings and festivities.
10. The chapi is made _____________ a section of an old bamboo.

c. SPEAKING
I. Make questions for the underlined words.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: We’d like to know something about the cultural groups of Viet Nam.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: The Tay don’t allow guests to sit in the room of their altar because that room is such a sacred place.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: Tourists can find Vietnam’s most beautiful terraced rice fields in Mu Cang Chai.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: They dug canals to bring water to their rice fields.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: The Muong speak the Muong language.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: A typical La Chi stilt house has three apartments.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: Some ethnic groups lived a semi-nomadic life decades ago.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: Chief of village Ama H’rin established Ako Dhong village.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: Most people in the village live simply and happily.
A: _________________________________________________________________________________
B: The local market is about 3 kilometres from our village.

II. Complete the dialogue with the appropriate phrases or sentences (A - J).
A. Exactly. And I must learn everything by heart.
B. Yes. But they also live in earthen houses, and half stilt-half earth houses.
C. They mostly live in the northern provinces.
D. Let's go.
E. Hl Thao! I'm reading about Nung people.
F. It's growing wet rice.
G. OK, thanks. Look at this note and ask me about this ethnic group.
H. To my way of thinking, it seems peaceful and interesting.
I. They celebrate many festivals in a year, but "Lung Tung" is the most famous one.
J. About 1 million people.
Thao: Hi, Phong! What are you reading?
Phong: (1) _________________________________________________________________________
Thao: Oh, I see. You’ll give a presentation on ethnic minorities, won’t you?
Phong: (2) _________________________________________________________________________
Thao: Let me help you to revise it.
Phong: (3) _________________________________________________________________________
Thao: Well, where do the Nung live?
Phong: (4) _________________________________________________________________________
Thao: What is the population of the Nung?
Phong: (5) _________________________________________________________________________
Thao: Do they live in stilt houses?
Phong: (6) _________________________________________________________________________
Thao: What is their main source of living
?Phong: (7) _________________________________________________________________________
Thao: How many festivals do they have in a year?
Phong: (8) _________________________________________________________________________
Thao: One more question. What do you think about life in mountainous regions?
Phong: (9) _________________________________________________________________________
Thao: Great! You did study hard. Take a rest. Let’s go out for a drink.
Phong: (10) _________________________________________________________________________

d. READING
I. Fill in each blank with a word from the box.
including display ethnic which diversity viewed throughout Homes
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi offers an insight into the 54 different (1)
________________ groups of Vietnam in an effort to preserve cultural heritage and promote socio-
cultural (2) ________________ within the country.
The museum has over 15,000 artefacts (3) ________________ photographs and other multi-
media such as audiotapes. Its indoor exhibition space can be (4) ________________ via a virtual tour
(5) ________________ includes the Viet, Muong, Tho, Chut, Tay, Thai, Ka Dai, H’Mong-Dao, Tang, San
Dui, Ngai, Mon-Khmer, Nam-Dao, Cham, Hoa and Khmer ethnic groups. There are priceless antiques
on (6) ________________ alongside everyday objects such as pipes, baskets and knives.
The outdoor area presents a range of traditional (7) ________________ including a Tay stilt house
and a Viet house. The museum is suitable for children, and all documents and display signs (8)
________________ have been translated into French and English.
II. Read the text carefully, then do the tasks below.
The Muong are among the ethnic minority groups that have big populations in Vietnam. The
Muong share an estimate of 1.3 million people from their six sub-groups, such as Mol, Mual, Moi, Moi
Bi, Au Ta and Ao Ta. They are largely concentrated in the provinces of Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa
particularly in mountainous districts. Their language belongs to the Viet-Muong group and they hold
many ceremonies year round.
The Muong have practiced farming for a long time and wet rice is their main food staple. Most
of their family’s other income is generated through the exploitation of forest products including
mushrooms, dried fungus, ammonium, and sticklac. The men are known for basketry as women are
skilled in silk spinning and loom weaving.
The Muong have diverse folk arts including folk songs and poems, sorcerer’s worshiping songs,
tales, proverbs, lullabies, and riddle songs. The gong is the most popular musical instrument along
with the flute, the two-string violin, the drum, and the panpipe.
A. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. ____ The Muong is one of the largest ethnic minorities in Vietnam.
2. ____ The Muong are also called Mol, Mual, Moi, Moi Bi, Au Ta and Ao Ta.
3. ____ The Muong don’t have their own language, so they speak Vietnamese.
4. ____ The Muong live mainly on forest products, such as mushrooms and dried fungus.
5. ____ Muong women are very good at making baskets and loom weaving.
6. ____ The Muong have a rich treasure of folk arts.
B. Answer the questions.
1. What is the population of the Muong?
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. Where do the Muong mostly live?
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. What Is the main food product of the Muong?
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. What are musical instruments of the Muong?
__________________________________________________________________________________