These pictures were shot of a Montagnard village in 1966 during the Vietnam War.

In the old days tribes use to live in huts like these on raised piles.

Over time many groups have converted to Vietnamese styles of housing. Today you have to go further into the interior to find minorities living in the old bamboo huts.

The War Years

During the colonial period, many of these tribes were subjugated to working as virtual slaves on rubber plantations.

The Montagnards who inhabit Dac Lac and the Da Lat region further south were extremely rebellious and submitted to the French colonial rule only as recently as 1939. In fact, they assassinated eight of their administrators.

As you can see the women were still bare-chested back in the 1960's, consequently they were called savages (Moi) by the Vietnamese.

Today they don't wear their tooth necklaces, tasseled loincloths and are fully dressed from the neck on down.

Many of these ethnic minorities often provided assistance to the Americans during the war.

At the wars end, some 200,000 Hmong were forced to immigrate to the United States after fleeing for their lives in Laos where the Vietnamese were waging a campaign of extermination. Today 150,000 are living in Minnesota were they are struggling to maintain their tribal and cultural identity.

From the 1970's to 80's a resistance movement of Montagnards called the FULRO (Front Unifie de Lutte des Races Opprimes) had staged raids from the Cambodian jungles against the Vietnamese army.

By late 1992, barely 10% of the original group remained and surrendered to a UN peacekeeping force. The survivors were evacuated to the United States.

Village children bathe in hillside run-off from the central highlands.

The War Years
	During the colonial period, many of these tribes were subjugated to working as virtual slaves on rubber plantations.
	The Montagnards who inhabit Dac Lac and the Da Lat region further south were extremely rebellious and submitted to the French colonial rule only as recently as 1939. In fact, they assassinated eight of their administrators.
	As you can see the women were still bare-chested back in the 1960's, consequently they were called savages (Moi) by the Vietnamese. Today they don't wear their tooth necklaces, tasseled loincloths and are fully dressed from the neck on down.
	Many of these ethnic minorities often provided assistance to the Americans during the war. At the wars end, some 200,000 Hmong were forced to immigrate to the United States after fleeing for their lives in Laos where the Vietnamese were waging a campaign of extermination. Today 150,000 are living in Minnesota were they are struggling to maintain their tribal and cultural identity.
	From the 1970's to 80's a resistance movement of Montagnards called the FULRO (Front Unifie de Lutte des Races Opprimes) had staged raids from the Cambodian jungles against the Vietnamese army. By late 1992, barely 10% of the original group remained and surrendered to a UN peacekeeping force. The survivors were evacuated to the United States.
	Village children bathe in hillside run-off from the central highlands.

Site Map

More Minorities

Kingdom of Champa

For more information you may contact us at the following addresses:

rwalsh@salemstate.edu
bporemba@salemstate.edu

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