Ethnic Minorities

One of the things with which I've been most fascinated while we study in and around Viet Nam is their celebration of the 54 ethnic minorities around the country. Each group maintains their unique cultures and identities; the country strongly believe in "unity in diversity." As far back as their recorded history, they have had many groups of people from many different places come through their lands bringing in new ideas and activities. Each region of Viet Nam, north (bac), central (trung) and south (nam), has a multitude of cultural identities and yet they all identify as people of Viet Nam.

Ho Chi Minh was instrumental in keeping the diversity of the country following the defeat of the French (and the Japanese) following World War II. The statue in the photo shows Ho Chi Minh holding three children representing the three different regions of the country. The relief behind the statue showcases the unique aspects of the many ethnic groups.

The oneness of the Vietnamese cultural identity was driven home during our Hanoi (i)xich lo (/i) (pedicab) ride. Riding along, just looking at everything around me, I caught sight of a globe off to the left. I took a picture going toward it, but also grabbed the main side of it. With the viewing of that, my driver tapped me on my shoulder and said, "Number 1!" They are a proud people.

Tam biet!

Maureen