CO TU ETHNIC PEOPLE VIETNAM

20-03-2019

Co Tu Ethnic people Vietnam

The history of the Co Tu people remains much shrouded in mystery. They are believed to have diverted from the Chinese Dong Son minority group approximately 3000 years ago as they expanded southwards from Yunnan valley. Tradition and culture is handed down in local oral folklore with very little written history in existence. Bronze Age practices from spirit worship, swidden agriculture, tattooing, crossbow hunting with poison arrows and ancient weaving techniques survive to this day. The practice of blood or head hunting was observed as recently as 1950 when the Co Tu started to interact more closely with more modern societies.

The Co Tu inhabit the mountainous regions of Central Vietnam West of Hoi An and Da Nang right up to and over the Lao border. They are now counted amongst the smallest of Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups with a total population of just 60,000 people. They live in small villages comprising of mostly wood and rattan huts with a central common, Goul and Moong houses and practice subsistence agriculture and hunting methods.

Customs and habits
The Co Tu believes in and worships Giang (Genie). The houses are set out in the form of an ellipse. In the middle of the village is the Rong (Communal House), a large and beautiful building used for the reception of guests, to hold meetings, rituals and cultural performances. Patriarchy prevails among the Co Tu as the children take the family name of their father. The right of inheritance is reserved only for sons. Marriage dowries are also a common practice.

Culture
Co Tu language belongs to the Mon-Khmer Group.

Costumes
Men wear loincloths and leave their upper torsos naked. Women wear skirts and short vests. In winter they wear a piece of cloth to keep them warm. Popular ornaments consist of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

Economy
The Co Tu practice a slash and burn cultivation, often dig holes to plant seeds, practice animal husbandry, weave cloth and baskets, gather, hunt, and fish. The exchange of products is carried out by bartering.

The Bho Hoong Village Project has deliberately limited the number of ways travelers can journey to the village. This has been done explicitly to minimise impact on the surrounding environment by limiting numbers and to help nurture and preserve the Co Tu peoples’ way of life. Our belief is that traveling in Vietnam should be every bit as important as the destination and our tour options have been designed in such a way as to best showcase this very special part of Central Vietnam.
The transportation options range from classic Russian Minsk motorcycles, scooters and dirt bikes for the truly adventurous to fully restored US Jeeps, to mountain bikes or the luxury of comfortable, air-conditioned minivans.

All groups are fully escorted by experienced guides equipped with exceptional knowledge of the region and the best, most exciting and scenic routes to Bho Hoong. Along the way you will stop at historically significant American war and ancient cultural sites, tea plantations and you will even have the honour to lunch with a former king of the Co Tu people in his home.