A circle of married Dao women
A circle of married Dao women. Like most big ethnic groups, the Dao are sub-divided into sub-ethnicities, often named after the costumes they wear. The Black Dao are also found in China, Laos and Thailand
The Ba Na during an ancient ritual.
The Ba Na during an ancient ritual. The dance is a surprise: the trance-like rhythms, suggestive movements and impressive masks immediately call to mind the cultures of Polynesia or Papua New Guinea
Gia Lai Province, by the Cambodian border.
The central highlands of Vietnam veiled in morning mist and mystery. Gia Lai Province, by the Cambodian border.
A view of a Xa Pho village. The village has no name
A view of a Xa Pho village. The village has no name, and its inhabitants are shunned by all the other locals in the surrounding valleys because, they say, the Xa Pho are not clean. Even minorities have their minorities.
A girl from the White Hmong tribe.
A girl from the White Hmong tribe, near Patan in the northern highlands. The Hmong are split into sub-groups: the Flower or Variegated Hmong, the White Hmong, Black Hmong, Green Hmong and Red Hmong. All names refer to the colours of their dress.
A Co Ho woman & child smoking a pipe.
A Co Ho woman smoking a pipe. The Co Hoís belief in genies ñ with Ndu reigning supreme ñ is animist in origin and buffalo are often sacrificed to appease the rice, earth and sun genies to ensure a good crop.
Kho Mu women carrying wood , the only raw material these hill tribes have.
The sight of Kho Mu women carrying wood in baskets on their heads is a common one here – wood is the only raw material these hill tribes have.
Flower Hmong tribe, on their way to the market at Lao Cai,
Girls from the Flower or Variegated Hmong tribe, on their way to the market at Lao Cai, near Bac Ha, at the Laotian border. As their clothes testify, the Hmong invest much energy in dyeing cloth and sewing costumes ñ all materials are hand-dyed.
Women carry wood back to their homes close to Sapa
Stunning scenery near Sapa. Women carry wood back to their homes.
Coin Dao on their way home at sunset
Coin Dao on their way home at sunset, after a day at the market.
A man from a Ba Na tribe has caught something for dinner.
A man from a Ba Na tribe has just caught himself something for dinner.
Ritual dance of the Ba Na tribe, in Kon Tum Province
Ritual dance of the Ba Na tribe, in Kon Tum Province. The Ba Naís rituals are reminiscent of Polynesian cultures while their villages could have been air-lifted straight from Borneo.
Flower Hmong carrying their babies in the traditional way
Flower Hmong carrying their babies in the traditional way ñ in a papoose.
Dao women never cut their hair and excel at big hair, prized here as a token of beauty.
Dao women never cut their hair and excel at big hair, prized here as a token of beauty. The longer the hair, the bigger the chignon, as this woman demonstrates.
Children from the Flower Hmong tribe.
Children from the Flower or Variegated Hmong tribe. The Hmong total some 558,000 and form part of the Hímong-Dao language group.
Market in Lao Cai, near Bac Ha, at the Laotian border.
The Flower or Variegated Hmong tribe, at the market at Lao Cai, near Bac Ha, at the Laotian border. Market-day is a day out, and traders have a good gossip while they picnic.
Ba Na country, an ethnic minority that form part of the Mon-Khmer group
Along the border between Gia Lai Province and Kon Tum Province the landscape is green, fertile and mountainous. This is Ba Na country, an ethnic minority that form part of the Mon-Khmer group and number around 137,000.
Red coloured fingers from dyeing clothes .
Red coloured fingers from dyeing clothes. Dyeing clothes is a traditional Dao custom. This woman is from the ëMoney Maní or Coin Dao ñ they pin coins to their clothes to denote their wealth.
Chief of the Gia Rai hill tribe with his wife
Portrait of the Chief of the Gia Rai hill tribe with his wife. He is wearing a threadbare Western suit instead of the traditional costumes ñ a sign of changes in the traditions of Vietnamís Hill Tribes
Vietnam’s Hill Tribes A Red Dao girl
A Red Dao girl, with an extremely impressive ëturbaní on her head.
Mother from the Dao hill tribe with her children .
Silhouette of a mother from the Dao hill tribe with her children in the early evening.
Hunter at Sin Ho, near the border with Laos
A hunter at Sin Ho, near the border with Laos. The sight of Communist style clothes is very common here, among the more ëassimilatedí tribe members. Every village still boasts a red Communist flag.
Tay Muong near Son La, the central highlands
Sometimes the landscape of the central highlands is so verdant and impassable that gullies can only be crossed over tree-trunks. The locals, like these Tay Muong near Son La, are used to this precarious method of crossing gorges.
The custom of dyeing teeth black, widespread in northern Vietnam
A Tai woman near Moc Chau. The custom of dyeing teeth black, widespread in northern Vietnam, as it is throughout south-east Asia and Japan, is considered to enhance beauty. ìPigs have white teeth, and weíre not pigs are we?î she says.
Ba Na ritual. Central highlands.
Ba Na women dancing around a campfire in a Ba Na ritual. Central highlands.
Herding the buffalo is often a task for the tribeís elderly.
Herding the buffalo is often a task for the tribeís elderly. In the hills of north Vietnam, rural life is still very hard. Work is seasonal, communal, tough and unavoidable. It is also gender-determined: men build houses; women wash and dry rice.
This headdress in Son La, shows that she is married .
This womanís headdress in Son La, shows that she is married. She proudly shows off her henna-coloured hands
Men in the village Tam Duang work together to build a new house for their neighbour.
A small village near Tam Duang, where all the men in the village work together to build a new house for their neighbour. Somewhat reminiscent of the Hollywood movie Witness.
H’mong women, near Sin Ho village, spinning hemp
Hmong women, near Sin Ho village, spinning hemp. These old hands are old hands at hemp-spinning.
A Rong house of the Ba Na minority, Central Highlands
A traditional ëRongí house of the Ba Na minority, Central Highlands. With their upturned roofs, the rong houses resemble enormous ships and function as the main village house and gathering place.
A Hmong girl . Beauty, in a world where fashion as we know it means nothing
A Hmong girl admiring herself in the mirror. Beauty, in a world where fashion as we know it means nothing, is very much determined by outdoing fellow women in clothing and hairstyles that can only ever be very similar.
A waterfall by Cat Cat village, 3 kms from Sapa
A waterfall by Cat Cat village, 3 kms from Sapa. These natural treasures, hidden in the verdant jungle, provide continuous surprises while travelling through northern Vietnam.
A Xa Pho girl in her village.
A Xa Pho girl in her village. The village has no name, and its inhabitants are shunned by all the other locals in the surrounding valleys because, they say, the Xa Pho are not clean. Even minorities have their minorities.
A day out shopping Flower Hmong are inspecting the jewels and trinkets.
A day out shopping for pretty things. This is as exciting for Vietnamese girls as it is for western girls ñ the ëshopí is the market near Bac Ha, where these Flower Hmong are inspecting the jewels and trinkets.
A Coin Dao man smoking a pipe in peace.
A Coin Dao man smoking a pipe in peace. The coins sewn to his hat are a symbol of wealth.
Sweeping up dried rice. The rice has been harvested, washed in the river and laid out to dry
Sweeping up dried rice. The rice has been harvested, washed in the river and laid out to dry on the big, flat rocks by the river. Lao Cai province.
The graves of the Ba Na are like small houses
The ëgravesí of the Ba Na are more like small houses and the wood carving on the funerary statues surrounding them is extremely intricate. Buffalo are slaughtered in the complex funeral rites both as status symbols and as a sacrifice to the dead.
Village chief predicts he will not be chief for much longer.
This frail man with his wife, a village chief for most of his life, predicts he will not be chief for much longer: ìI will be dead soon, so I will not see your photograph. But please send it to my wife so she has something to remember me by.î
Dao woman never cut their hair, one of the most important signs of beauty to them.
A Dao woman washing her hair in the Da river, showing exactly how long her hair is. The Dao never cut their hair, one of the most important signs of beauty to them.
Temple perched on an outcrop close to Halong Bay .
Temple perched on an outcrop close to Halong Bay, near Hanoi.
Woman breast-feeding child on steps of Roman Catholic church
Woman breast-feeding child on steps of Roman Catholic church. In sharp contrast to the more traditional animist beliefs held by the village elders, Vietnamís children are growing up with Roman Catholicism. These Ba Na women attend church every day.
Flower Hmong woman and child at the market at Lao Ca
Flower Hmong woman and child at the market at Lao Cai, near Bac Ha, at the Laotian border.
Dao woman washing there hair in the Da river
A Dao woman washing her hair in the Da river, showing exactly how long her hair is. The Dao never cut their hair, since itís one of the most important signs of beauty.
The custom of dyeing the teeth black is widespread in northern Vietnam
Vietnam is home to a diverse range of ethnic minorities. The custom of dyeing the teeth black is widespread in northern Vietnam ñ as it is throughout south-east Asia and Japan ñ and is considered beautiful.
Flower Hmong women selling sugar cane at the Lao Cai market.
Flower Hmong women selling sugar cane at the Lao Cai market, near Bac Ha.
A statue of the dead, in Kontum, Central Highlands.
A statue of the dead, in Kontum, Central Highlands. The Gia Rai people believe in the existence of Giang (genies) and hold many rituals connected with genies in food-production. Death rituals are equally complex, with effigies symbolising the dead.
The love market at Sapa, where tribal boys and girls meet and hopefully fall in love
The ëlove marketí at Sapa, where boys and girls from surrounding villages meet to socialise and hopefully fall in love. These get-togethers are also designed to prevent in-breeding or extinction in light of the Black Hmongís dwindling numbers.
A Ba Na village chiefís wife stands proudly in front of the village Rong house
A Ba Na village chiefís wife stands proudly in front of the village Rong house. Central Highlands
Tribal villages along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
The villages along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, like this Co Ho village in the southern highlands, are small, pristine and remote. The Co Ho numbering around 100,000, cultivate rice in submerged fields.
An elderly Tai woman, in Yen Bai , I am not afraid to die, who would want to live forever ?
An elderly Tai woman, in Yen Bai. ìMy life has been long. I have always stayed here, this land has left its mark on me and I on it,î says the woman. ìI am not afraid to die. Why would I be? I am old and who would want to live forever?î
Blue Hmong women on their way home to the mountains .
Blue Hmong women on their way home to the mountains after being at the market at Lao Cai
The Ho Chi Minh Trail is still considered dangerous and a no go area for tourist
By motorbike along the Ho Chi Minh Trail ñ a fantasy come true. The Trail is still considered dangerous and most tourists go no further north from Ho Chi Minh City than Kon Tum.
The Pa Then are famous for big,and colourful hats .
The Pa Then are famous for their hats big,and colourful.
An overview of the Lao Cai market.
An overview of the Lao Cai market, near Bac Ha. Lying very near the Chinese border, it attracts people from China and even Laos. Many walk for around 4 or 5 days to get to the market, sell their wares and walk all the way back to their own villages.
Three impressively coiffed Dao girls.
Three impressively coiffed Dao girls. Hair is also used for weaponry and safety straps for oars on warships. According to legend, the Vietnamese Nguyen dynasty prince was saved from his enemies by making another oar strap from his concubineís hair.
A Dao woman making her own clothes in front of her house.
A Dao woman making her own clothes in front of her house. The Vietnamese Hill Tribes ñ regardless of which tribe ñ spend a great deal of time making their clothes as beautiful as they can.
Stripping a dead cow of its skin in the early morning.
Stripping a dead cow of its skin in the early morning, in the middle of the street.
Black Dao children, curious about westerners
Black Dao children, curious about westerners, sidle up to the camera.
A Tai funeral of a young man who died of an opium overdose.
A Tai funeral of a young man who died of an opium overdose. Opium addiction is proving to be an enormous problem among the young.
Shopping at the market near Bac Ha
Shopping at the market near Bac Ha. These Hmong girls are inspecting the jewels and trinkets.
Tribal woman living in the jungle along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Central highlands
A forlorn and bedraggled tribal woman living in the jungle along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Central highlands. Floris gives her some paper money, she looks at it with deep concentration, turns it over a few times and eventually drops it to the ground.
Hmong women spinning hemp on traditional spinning wheel.
In the Tam Duong area, where Hmong women spin wool every day on traditional spinning wheel.
A Kinh woman standing in the rice paddies
A Kinh woman standing in the rice paddies, smiling broadly and showing off her black teeth.
Traditional medicines in their stall, at Son La market
Traditional medicines in their stall, at Son La market. Those shown here are for stomach upsets, although there are traditional medicines for everything from headaches to fertility treatments.
Christmas day in Sapa .the one night of the year when people can eat and sleep in the church.
Christmas day in the church in Sapa. The whole village is there as tonight is the one night of the year when people can sleep in the church. Children run between the crowds and everyone sits on the floor surrounded by food, gossiping and laughing.
Every village still boasts a red Communist flag .
Every village still boasts a red Communist flag, and the roads are dotted with small huts in which sit Communist ëguardsí ñ though this sounds more draconian than it is in practice. Close to Fansi Pan Mountain.
Bundles of home-spun wool, in bright colours typical of the Vietnamese Hill Tribes.
Bundles of home-spun wool, in bright colours typical of the Vietnamese Hill Tribes.
A complicated grid of electricity source, feeds a small village of power .
A complicated grid of irrigation ducts made from bamboo ensures a water supply from the Da River to Sapa. The system is so complex and efficient that every house is connected to it, rivalling any modern water supply system in the west.
Buffalo are slaughtered both as status symbols whenever a new Rong house is built
The rites of the Ba Na are reminiscent of those of Sulawesi and even Madagascar. Buffalo are slaughtered both as status symbols whenever a new Rong house is built, and as a sacrifice to the dead.
White Hmong leaving their village for a day of hunting.
White Hmong leaving their village for a day of hunting.