Self-name:
Tay, Tày hoặc Thay
Alt-name:
Tay Thanh, Man Thanh, Tay Mười, Tày Mường, Hàng Tổng, Tay Dọ, Thổ.
Local groups:
Thái Ðen (Tày Ðăm), Thái Trắng (Tày Ðón /Tày Khao) Thái Đỏ (Tày Đèng)
Region of residence:
Tây Bắc Bộ, Bắc Trung Bộ
Area of residence:
Provinces of Hoa Binh, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An.
Population (2019):
1820950
Percent:
1.893%
Language group
Kra - Dai
Language family
Thái - Ka Đai
The Thai people are of mainland Southeast Asian origin, and have been in the Vietnam region for over 1,200 years. The Thai people developed wet rice cultivation in the valley fields. They also grew many other food crops, and grew cotton for weaving. Thai women wore colorful short blouses, with silver buttons in the shape of butterflies, spiders, or cicadas on the chest seam. The Black Thai group wore Pieu scarves with many colorful patterns. Thai men wore open-chest blouses with pockets, and wrapped in black axe-beak scarves. On holidays, men wore long black shirts with slits at the armpits, wrapped in a sleeve length of one arm.