Lives of Cong ethnic people in north-western Vietnam

The Cong ethnic people numbering more than 1,000 live mainly in villages throughout Dien Bien province, including Huoi Moi, Pung Bon, Nam Ke, and La Cha.

La Cha village alone is home to 79 households of the Cong ethnic group with nearly 400 inhabitants.

Cong ethnic people first moved to live in La Cha in 1952 and they then fanned out to other villages to establish a strong community as seen today.

Festivals, cultural rituals, and spiritual beliefs followed by local people are performed by a shaman.

Their traditional customs and practices have been passed down from generation to generation.

A Cong ethnic family often lives in a stilt house in the region.

A traditional dance featuring the manual farming work of the ethnic Cong people

Cong children in La Cha village have fun when they don’t have to go to school.

Local people earn a living through manual cultivation.

A bridge crossing the Nam Cha river is convenient for locals to travel and exchange goods.

Huoi Moi village located along the Vietnam-Laos border is home to 16 households of the Cong people.

Agricultural production greatly helps to improve the lives of local people these days.

A woman prepares for Tet Hoa Mao Ga, or the cockscomb flower festival, one of the most important celebrations of the  ethnic minority group.

A view inside a kindergarten of the ethnic Cong people in Huoi Moi village

Locals from the Cong community hang national flags on special national occasions.

Many households use Photovoltaic panels to generate electricity for daily life.