List of ethnic groups in Vietnam

Fifty-four ethnic groups in Vietnam have been officially recognized by the Vietnamese government since 2 March 1979. Each ethnicity has its own unique language, traditions, and culture. The largest ethnic groups are: Kinh 85.32%, Tày 1.92%, Thái 1.89%, Mường 1.51%, Hmong 1.45%, Khmer 1.32%, Nùng 1.13%, Dao 0.93%, Hoa 0.78%, with all others accounting for the remaining 3.7%. The Vietnamese terms for ethnic groups are dân tộc and sắc tộc.

List of ethnic groups

The total population of Vietnam was 96,208,984 according to the 2019 census.

Group	People	Percentage of population	2009 census	2019 census	Growth rate	Distribution	Note
	Total		85,846,997	96,208,984	%
1. Vietic	Kinh	%	73,594,427	82,085,826	%	throughout Vietnam	also called Viet, the largest ethnic group in Vietnam
1. Vietic	Chứt	%	6,022	7,513	%	Quảng Bình	Chứt consists of five distinct tribes: Arem, Mã Liêng, Mày, Rục, Sách.
1. Vietic	Mường	%	1,268,963	1,452,095	%	Hòa Bình, Thanh Hóa, Phú Thọ, Sơn La, Hà Nội, Ninh Bình	closest to the Kinh, the other main part of the Viet–Mường branch of the Vietic subfamily
1. Vietic	Thổ	%	74,458	91,430	%	Nghệ An, Thanh Hóa	Tho - Related to Kinh Vietnamese
2. Austroasiatic	Ba Na	%	227,716	286,910	%	Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Bình Định	Bahnar
2. Austroasiatic	Brâu	<0.005%	397	525	%	Kon Tum, Hồ Chí Minh City, Đồng Nai	Brau
2. Austroasiatic	Bru Vân Kiều	%	74,506	94,598	%	Quảng Trị, Quảng Bình, Đăk Lăk	Bru
2. Austroasiatic	Chơ Ro	%	26,855	29,520	%	Đồng Nai, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Bình Thuận
2. Austroasiatic	Co	%	33,817	40,442	%	Quảng Ngãi, Quảng Nam
2. Austroasiatic	Cờ Ho	%	166,112	200,800	%	Lâm Đồng, Bình Thuận	Koho
2. Austroasiatic	Cơ Tu	%	61,588	74,173	%	Quảng Nam, Thừa Thiên-Huế
2. Austroasiatic	Giẻ Triêng	%	50,962	63,322	%	Kon Tum, Quảng Nam
2. Austroasiatic	Hrê	%	127,420	149,460	%	Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định	H're
2. Austroasiatic	Kháng	%	13,840	16,180	%	Sơn La, Điện Biên
2. Austroasiatic	Khmer	%	1,260,640	1,319,652	%	Sóc Trăng, Trà Vinh, Kiên Giang, An Giang, Bạc Liêu, Bình Dương, Hồ Chí Minh City, Cà Mau, Đồng Nai, Vĩnh Long each constituting less than 10% of all Khmer in Vietnam	Khmer
2. Austroasiatic	Khơ Mú	%	72,929	90,612	%	Nghệ An, Điện Biên, Sơn La, Lai Châu, Yên Bái	Khmu
2. Austroasiatic	Mạ	%	41,405	50,322	%	Lâm Đồng, Đắk Nông, Đồng Nai
2. Austroasiatic	Mảng	<0.005%	3,700	4,650	%	Lai Châu
2. Austroasiatic	Mnông	%	102,741	127,334	%	Đăk Nông, Đăk Lăk, Bình Phước, Lâm Đồng	Mnong
2. Austroasiatic	Ơ Đu	<0.005%	376	428	%	Nghệ An
2. Austroasiatic	Rơ Măm	<0.005%	436	639	%	Kon Tum
2. Austroasiatic	Tà Ôi	%	43,886	52,356	%	Thừa Thiên-Huế, Quảng Trị	Ta Oi
2. Austroasiatic	Xinh Mun	%	23,278	29,503	%	Sơn La, Điện Biên	Xinh-mun
2. Austroasiatic	Xơ Đăng	%	169,501	212,277	%	Kon Tum, Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Đắk Lắk	Sedang, Xo Dang
2. Austroasiatic	X’Tiêng	%	85,436	100,752	%	Bình Phước	Stieng
3. Tai–Kadai, Tai	Bố Y	<0.005%	2,273	3,232	%	Lào Cai, Hà Giang	Bouyei
3. Tai–Kadai, Tai	Giáy	%	58,617	67,858	%	Lào Cai, Hà Giang, Lai Châu, Yên Bái
3. Tai–Kadai, Tai	Lào	%	14,928	17,532	%	Lai Châu, Điện Biên, Sơn La
3. Tai–Kadai, Tai	Lự	%	5,601	6,757	%	Lai Châu	Lu
3. Tai–Kadai, Tai	Nùng	%	968,800	1,083,298	%	Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, Bắc Giang, Thái Nguyên, Hà Giang, Đắk Lắk
3. Tai–Kadai, Tai	Sán Chay	%	169,410	201,398	%	Tuyên Quang, Thái Nguyên, Bắc Giang, Quảng Ninh	San Chay, Cao Lan
3. Tai–Kadai, Tai	Tày	%	1,626,392	1,845,492	%	Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, Tuyên Quang, Hà Giang	Tay - The largest minority in Vietnam
3. Tai–Kadai, Tai	Thái	%	1,550,423	1,820,950	%	Sơn La, Nghệ An, Thanh Hóa, Điện Biên, Lai Châu	Including Tai Daeng, Tai Dón, Tai Dam and other minor groups
4. Tai-Kadai, Kra	Cờ Lao	<0.005%	2,636	4,003	%	Hà Giang	Gelao
4. Tai-Kadai, Kra	La Chí	%	13,158	15,126	%	Hà Giang	Lachi
4. Tai-Kadai, Kra	La Ha	%	8,177	10,157	%	Sơn La	Laha
4. Tai-Kadai, Kra	Pu Péo	<0.005%	687	903	%	Hà Giang	Qabiao, Pubiao
5. Hmong–Mien	Dao	%	751,067	891,151	%	Hà Giang, Tuyên Quang, Lào Cai, Yên Bái, Quảng Ninh	Yao people, also known as Mien, many speak Iu Mien language
5. Hmong–Mien	Hmong	%	1,068,189	1,393,547	%	Hà Giang, Điện Biên, Sơn La, Lào Cai, Lai Châu, Yên Bái	formerly known as Mèo, classified as Miao in China
5. Hmong–Mien	Pà Thẻn	%	6,811	8,248	%	Hà Giang, Tuyên Quang	Pa-Hng
6. Malayo-Polynesian	Chăm	%	161,729	178,948	%	Ninh Thuận, Bình Thuận, Phú Yên, An Giang, Hồ Chí Minh City, Đồng Nai, Bình Định	Cham - Descendants of the Champa polities of Southern Vietnam
6. Malayo-Polynesian	Chu Ru	%	19,314	23,242	%	Lâm Đồng	Chru
6. Malayo-Polynesian	Ê Đê	%	331,194	398,671	%	Đăk Lăk, Phú Yên	Rade
6. Malayo-Polynesian	Gia Rai	%	411,275	513,930	%	Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Đắk Lắk	Jarai
6. Malayo-Polynesian	Raglay	%	122,245	146,613	%	Ninh Thuận, Khánh Hòa, Bình Thuận	Roglai
7. Sino-Tibetan languages, Chinese languages	Hoa	%	823,071	749,466	%	Hồ Chí Minh City, Đồng Nai, Sóc Trăng, Kiên Giang, Bắc Giang, Bình Dương	Make up those with Cantonese background. Not to be confused with the Ngái Hakka, who are classified separately.
7. Sino-Tibetan languages, Chinese languages	Ngái	<0.005%	1,035	1,649	%	Thái Nguyên, Bình Thuận	Hakka Chinese, classified separately from the Hoa
7. Sino-Tibetan languages, Chinese languages	Sán Dìu	%	146,821	183,004	%	Thái Nguyên, Vĩnh Phúc, Bắc Giang, Quảng Ninh	San Diu, Yao that speak Cantonese, though some know Iu Mien
7. Sino-Tibetan languages, Chinese languages	Cống	<0.005%	2,029	2,729	%	Lai Châu, Điện Biên	Phunoi
7. Sino-Tibetan languages, Chinese languages	Hà Nhì	%	21,725	25,539	%	Lai Châu, Lào Cai, Điện Biên	Hani
7. Sino-Tibetan languages, Chinese languages	La Hủ	%	9,651	12,113	%	Lai Châu	Lahu
7. Sino-Tibetan languages, Chinese languages	Lô Lô	%	4,541	4,827	%	Cao Bằng, Hà Giang	Yi
7. Sino-Tibetan languages, Chinese languages	Phù Lá	%	10,944	12,471	%	Lào Cai, Yên Bái
7. Sino-Tibetan languages, Chinese languages	Si La	<0.005%	709	909	%	Lai Châu, Điện Biên

Other

Nguồn - possibly Mường group, officially classified as a Việt group by the government, Nguồn themselves identify with Việt ethnicity; their language is a member of the Viet–Muong branch of the Vietic sub-family.
Sui - officially classified as Pa Then people.
According to news from Dantri, an online newspaper in Vietnam, the Thừa Thiên-Huế People's Committee in September 2008 announced a plan to do more research in a new ethnic group in Vietnam. It is Pa Kô, also called Pa Cô, Pa Kô, Pa-Kô or Pa Kôh. This ethnic group settles mainly in A Lưới suburban district and mountainous area of Hướng Hóa. At present, however, they have been classified in Tà Ôi ethnic group.

Many of the local ethnic groups residing in mountain areas are known collectively in the West as Montagnard or Degar. One distinctive feature of highland ethnic minority groups in Vietnam is that they are colorfully attired whether at home, in the farm, traveling or in their home town.
Foreign expatriate workers are a small portion of the population, some settling permanently or through marriage. Many are migrants from neighboring Asian countries like China, though some are from the west. Today, 2,700 Americans live in Vietnam. Moreover, some descend from the French and other Europeans from the colonial period. However, most European descendants left after Vietnam gained independence.