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1 SPEAKING Describe the photos. Can you name the ethnic groups in the photos?
2 Read the text. Where in Viet Nam do these peoples live?
1 Tay
2 Muong
3 Khmer
4 Thai
3 Read the text again. Are these statements true or false? Write (T) and (F).
1 Most of Vietnamese people belong to the Kinh ethnic group.
2 Different wedding customs of ethnic groups have different meanings.
3 As far as culture is concerned, the Kinh people is the most developed in Viet Nam.
4 🎧1.18 Listen to three Westerners talking about the wedding ceremonies they witnessed in Viet Nam. Which ethnic groups are mentioned by the speakers?
5 🎧1.18 Listen again. Match the sentences with the speakers (1-3). Some sentences match with more than one speaker.
Which speaker(s)
A were amazed by the ceremony?
B had read about the customs before?
C mention his/her previous trip to Viet Nam?
D make a positive comment about the bride?
E understand the meaning of the customs?
6 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Discuss these questions.
1 Which ethnic groups are you in contact with most often? What is most special about them?
2 How are weddings held in your family? What customs do you find the most meaningful?
🎧1.17
Viet Nam is a multi-racial country with 54 ethnic groups. More than 85% of Viet Nam's population is the Kinh people who mainly inhabit the Red River delta, the central coastal delta, the Mekong delta and major cities. The rest of Viet Nam's population, about 8 million, is scattered in mountainous areas around the country and makes up the other 53 ethnic groups. Major ethnic groups include Tay and Nung (in North East provinces), Thai and Muong people (in Phu Tho Province, Hoa Binh Province), Hoa (around Viet Nam), Khmer (in the Mekong Delta). All ethnic groups in Viet Nam have achieved high levels of development in terms of culture and social strata.
Ethnic groups have distinct cultures and customs. Take marriage practices and weddings as an example. On arrival at the groom's house, a bride in the Nung people pours a bottle of water into a
saucepan, which symbolises hard work and dedication to the family. Meanwhile, a wedding ceremony of the Tay people is characterised by a lot of singing known as "hat quan lang". A Thai man usually stays with and works for his fiancé's family for 3 years before the wedding ceremony. Varied as the customs are, they all mean blessings to the newly-weds in their marriage life.
