For generations, the Red Co Lao, one of Vietnam’s various ethnic minority groups, have lived in villages on the slopes of the Tay Con Linh mountain range in the northern province of Ha Giang. Their cultural values have changed over times, but some of them have been preserved to this day.

The Red Co Lao people exhibit a high level of cultivation skills on sloping land.

Tung Ssn commune is surrounded by terraced fields with dozens of farmers reaping and threshing rice during the harvest in September and October.

Due to the steep terrain, local people must cultivate on fields that are high up in the mountains and inaccessible for machinery. To harvest rice quickly, local people work for each other to ensure productivity and strengthen solidarity. 

The Red Co Lao ethnic minority people continue to wear traditional outfits, which are believed to have been passed down through 16 generations. Though undergoing some historical changes, the outfits have been preserved by the ethnic minority people and become a national treasure.

Another ritual of the Red Co Lao ethnic minority people is worshipping the God Hoang Van Thung, who is believed to help local people expand their area and bring peace to villagers.

According to the 2019 population census, Vietnam is home to some 4,000 Red Co Lao ethnic minority people. More than 200 families with 1,000 members live in Ha Giang’s Hoang Su Phi district./.