Cultural changes in marriage and funeral customs of San Diu people in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province

Thinking of that we decided to choose to do research on this issue “Cultural changes in marriage and funeral customs of San Diu people in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province” with w

INTRODUCTION

1 Reasons for choosing this issue

Vietnamese culture is the culture of “diversity in unity " It is the convergence of cultural values of the 54 ethnic groups living in the territory of Vietnam During their history and development, each group has created typical traditional cultural values for themselves Each ethnic group has their own cultural values; and through history these cultural values become their cultural identities, contributing to the multi-nuanced culture of Vietnam Cultural identity is one out of three criteria to determine the ethnic structure in Vietnam

So, the existence of each group is attached with their cultural characters The loss of the cultural values of a nation will gradually lead to the disappearance of that nation

Particularly, in the context of current integration, the issue of national cultures is paid more and more attention An urgent need is that to integrate does not mean to dissolve the culture We integrate with the international trends, but still reserve our traditional national values National values are our cultural characters Vietnam cultural characters are the cultural values of every ethnic group living on the territory of Vietnam, in particular the Kinh people and 53 ethnic minorities The research and studies on Vietnamese characters can not be separated from studying the cultural characters of each of the 54 peoples in Vietnam

Our Party and Government also attach great importance to conserving and promoting cultural values of ethnic groups In 1991, in the "Platform for national construction in the period of transition to socialism" the Party has stated to respect for the interests of

cultural traditions, languages, customs and beliefs of the peoples, and at the same time, to reserve and promote moral, ethic, aesthetic values and the cultural and artistic heritages

of every people

In the huge family of Vietnam’s ethnic groups, San Diu people, also known as Son Dzao people (Dzao people in the mountains), mainly live in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang , Yen Bai, etc Having immigrated to Vietnam and settled in Thai Nguyen for just about 3 centuries, but they still reserve their available cultural values, together with other groups’ cultures they have absorbed

simultaneously, to create their own tradition cultural characters

It is affirmed that life cycle rites are the profound expression for ethnic culture characters, especially spiritual, psychological life and customs of each group Besides, these are exceptional cultures well reserved and hardly changed for a long time, because they themselves contain meaningful humane values, which is ground for prosperity of every group’s culture Every San Diu person, from birth till death, goes though their group’s life cycle rites, which helps building their cultural values Studying their life cycle rites is

a must if we want to study their cultural values

The major milestones in each person’s life are marked by following rituals: marriage, giving birth and funeral, which are the turning points of his (her) life They enable

development inside each person in accordance with natural laws and under impact of social ones The issue of studying San Diu people’s cultures in general and the issue of explaining the changes in life cycle rites in particular remain unsolved

Thinking of that we decided to choose to do research on this issue “Cultural changes in

marriage and funeral customs of San Diu people in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province” with which we aims to show significant changes in marriage and funeral

customs of the local San Diu People, firstly to contribute to the study of cultural

characters of ethnic minorities in Vietnam, and finally to make ground for the study of Vietnamese cultural characters

We hope that this research upon completion will help understanding more of San Diu People’s culture, as well as cultures of all the ethnic groups in Vietnam; and basing on that to propose suitable policies about preserving and promoting cultural values of

marriage and funeral customs, two of the life cycle rites of San Diu People in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province in particular and San Diu People all around the country in general

2 Background information on this issue

In the last few years, the trend to study and research on traditional ethnic cultures has become more and more popular Although the ethnic minorities only cover about 13% total population, each of them owns unique culture and customs, which creates the

national diversified-but-unified culture, the progressive and well reserved culture of Vietnam

The San Diu ethnic group in Vietnam is also an interesting issue which has been

attracting many ethnologists and writers There has been many deep researches done on their culture published into books or writing on magazines

The book Nguoi San Diu o Viet Nam written by Ma Khanh Bang, published in 1983, is an

overview picture of life of San Diu people in Vietnam The author has researched and presented a general overview of the San Diu people: the name, foundation and

development history, as well as the social organization, material and spiritual cultures, and their tradition customs which make up their own cultural values He concludes that San Diu group is a minority who continuously absorbs other groups’ cultures, but still keeps in mind that they are a people

Writer Diep Trung Binh, in Phong Tuc va Nghi Le Chu Ky Doi Nguoi cua Nguoi San Diu

o Viet Nam (2005), describes in details most customs of San Diu People during their life

cycle from birth to death Besides, he also shows his opinions about their cultural values and changes in these values shown in their life cycle rites

In Tri Thuc Dan Gian trong Chu Ky Doi Nguoi San Diu o Viet Nam, published by

National Culture Press in 2011, Diep Trung Binh also mentions cultural values of the San Diu people through their folk knowledge in giving birth, raising children, growing up, marriage and funeral

He also collects, studies and translates San Diu people’s folk songs in their everyday life

and corresponding singing in weddings All is published in the book Dan Ca San Diu by

National Culture Press in 1987

The book “Cac Dan Toc It Nguoi o Viet Nam (Cac Tinh Phia Bac)”also gives a general

overview of the San Diu people in Vietnam The authors briefly describe history of the people and the living cultures, including material cultures in their houses, costumes, food, and spiritual cultures in their rituals like marriage and funeral, etc

“Dan Toc San Diu o Bac Giang”, written by Ngo Van Tru and Nguyen Xuan Can (main

editor), by National Culture Press, Hanoi, 2003, is a full picture of San Diu people in Bac Giang, presenting in details from history, name, living territory, etc., to traditional

economic activities, food, traditional costumes, rituals and customs related to life cycle

The author Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, in his book “Van Hoa Truyen Thong San Diu o Tuyen Quang”, published in 2011, also gives the most general overview of the history of this

people, as well as their residence and cultural identities in Tuyen Quang Province

These above mentioned researches provide a useful theoretical ground and comparative object for me to objectively study the cultural changes of the San Diu minority in Phu Binh through their customs of marriage and funeral

Dr Nguyen Thi Que Loan has deeply studied the eating habits of the people, and

reflected the result in her doctorial thesis “Tap Quan An Uong cua Nguoi San Diu o Thai Nguyen” This thesis discusses in details about the traditional sources of their foods, their

traditional methods of preparing foods and drinks, as well as changes of these customs when the people exchange and learn from other groups

Related to the above issue, Dr Nguyen Thi Que Loan also wrote a post on the Ethnology Magazine, “Bien Doi Trong Tap Quan An Uong cua Nguoi San Diu Tinh Thai Nguyen”

Researcher Le Minh Chinh had a study on San Diu People in Thai Nguyen majoring in

medical aspect called “Thuc Trang Thieu Mau o Phu Nu San Diu Trong Thoi Ky Mang Thai tai Huyen Dong Hy Tinh Thai Nguyen va Hieu Qua cua Bien Phap Can Thiep” Dam Thi Uyen and Nguyen Thi Hai wrote “Tin Nguong Cu Tru Cua Nguoi San Diu o Thai Nguyen” on the Nation and Times Magazine, number 89, 2006 The post mentioned

their social organization and spiritual views in their residing customs

Also on the Nation and Times Magazine, number 87, 2006 there was a post by Nguyen Thi Mai, titled “Le Hoi Cau Mua cua Nguoi San Diu”, showing us about the people’s

spiritual viewpoints in season and weather

The ethnologist Chu Thai Son wrote the book “Dan Toc San Diu”, published by Kim Dong Press in 2011, to supply for the programme “Books supplied by the States for the

children in remote or mountainous area” It briefly introduce San Diu minority group in Vietnam in aspects of history, working and living habits, traditional customs, mental life and present living conditions

The above mentioned works reflect a long history of studying San Diu people’s culture in Vietnam in general and in each area in detailed However, researching on culture of San Diu group in Phu Binh - Thai Nguyen in general and studying the cultural changes in their marriage and funeral customs in particular are still mostly left unattended Thus, the above mentioned works will help me a lot in my studying and clarifying the cultural changes in the marriage and funeral customs of San Diu group in Phu Binh - Thai

Nguyen

3 Purposes, objects and scope of the research

3.1 Purposes of the research

This thesis “Cultural changes in marriage and funeral customs of San Diu people in

Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province” aims to research and learn how the cultural

values of San Diu group in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province are reflected in some life cycle rites, basing on which to propose suitable policies about preserving and promoting traditional cultural values of San Diu ethnic group in Vietnam in general, and

in the researched area in particular

- Marriage customs and funeral rituals are related to people’s viewpoints on their spirit, universe and life Thus, researching on changes of these fields is an approach to San Diu people’s viewpoints on marriage and funeral

- Researching on changes in marriage and funeral customs in their life cycle rites plays an important role in building the local cultural life Thanks to this, some proposals to

promote good cultural values and to remove existing bad rituals from their spiritual life

3.2 Objects and scopes of the research

- Objects of the research are major changes in marriage and funeral customs of San Diu ethnic minority in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province, and the causes of these changes The research bases on the comparison of the present customs with the ones in the past, through which the cultural values in their rituals and their relationship, among family members and among the public are clearly exposed

- Scopes of the research:

In term of space: The research is done in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province, with

a focus on the two communes Ban Dat and Tan Khanh, where there is the highest density

of San Diu ethnic people

In term of time: The research on cultural characteristics of San Diu ethnic group in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province from the past to present in the comparative

approach

4 Theoretical bases and research methods

- Theoretical bases

The thesis is written basing on the dialectical and historical materialist perspectives of Marxism - Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thoughts, and perspectives of our States and Party on the issues of ethnic groups and their cultures Accordingly, the research always

approaches to the materials and phenomena in their constant movements in space and time

This thesis also inherits the research achievements, theoretical bases and methodology of the local ethnologists

- Research methods

The most important method is ethnographic fieldwork survey, in which direct interviews with individuals and groups are made, and, at the same time, observing, writing, video and sound recordings are realized in the two mentioned communes (Tan Khanh and Ban Dat) of Phu Binh District Besides, other used methods are document studying,

interdisciplinary method combining ethnology, cultural study, history, sociology,

comparison, contrast, etc

- Material resource

In order to complete this thesis, we have gathered information from different sources: survey, ethnographic field trips; talking with ethnologists; studying documents, articles, and other press about the San Diu group, their life cycle rites and other groups’ in

Vietnam

5 Contribution of the thesis

- To contribute to the source of field trip survey, through which we clearly see the

changes in marriage and funeral customs of San Diu ethnic group in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province from the past to present

- To make a systematic research in details on the two important existing customs in life cycle rites of San Diu ethnic group in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province, and the changes in each field through time

- To help studying and preserving good traditional cultural values of San Diu ethnic group in Vietnam in general and in Phu Binh District, Thai Nguyen Province in

particular

- The research result will help building a scientific basis for cultural, educational and social policies, in which an essential is preserving the good traditional cultural values, and discontinuing the pessimistic and costly rituals which limit the development of

people’s awareness and society This is importantly related to building a new cultural living style in the public in the period of national industrialization and modernization

6 Layout of the thesis

Besides the Introduction and Conclusion, the thesis includes three chapters:

Chapter 1: General geographic information of Phu Binh District - Thai Nguyen Province and the San Diu ethnic group

Chapter 2: Traditional characters and changes of marriage and funeral customs of San Diu ethnic group in Phu Binh District - Thai Nguyen Province

Chapter 3: Some proposals to preserving and promoting cultural values of marriage and funeral customs of San Diu ethnic group in Phu Binh District - Thai Nguyen Province

CONTENTS

Chapter 1: GENERAL GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION OF PHU BINH DISTRICT - THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE AND THE SAN DIU ETHNIC GROUP

1.1 Geographic location and natural conditions

1.1.1 Geographic location

In Ly Dynasty, the nowadays Phu Binh District was called Tu Nong District, Thai

Nguyen Territory (Chau Thai Nguyen) In Minh Dynasty it was in Thai Nguyen District (Phu Thai Nguyen) In Le Dynasty, it was in Thai Nguyen Province (Thai Nguyen thua tuyen), which was then renamed into Ninh Soc (Ninh Soc thua tuyen)

At the beginning of the 20th century, the French governor general in Indochina renamed it into Phu Binh District (phu Phu Binh)

At the time right before the August 1945 Revolutionary, Phu Binh District (phu Phu Binh) consisting 9 towns, 47 communes, 7 villages and 1 ward, was one of the 7 districts (phu, huyen, chau) of Thai Nguyen Province

March 25th, 1948, the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam issued the Decree 148/SL about removing the terms “phu”, “chau”, “quan” from provincial

administrative naming, and using the only term “huyen” for the division which is larger than a commune and smaller than a province From that time on, it has been officially called Phu Binh District1 (huyen Phu Binh) [22, p 6]

Today Phu Binh District consists of 21 administrative divisions including 20 communes and 1 town (Tan Khanh, Ha Chau, Tan Hoa, Dong Lien, Luong Phu, Duong Thanh, Tan Thanh, Bao Ly, Nha Long, Tan Kim, Dao Xa, Tan Duc, Xuan Phuong, Thanh Ninh, Kha Son, Uc Ky, Ban Dat, Diem Thuy, Nga My, Thuong Dinh and Huong Son Town) which are divided into 315 villages and 4 community groups Phu Binh District has 7

communes recognized as mountainous ones

Phu Binh District was in between the northern latitudes 21023' and 21035', eastern

longitudes 105051' and 106002'

It borders Dong Hy District to the North and Northwest, Pho Yen District and Thai Nguyen City to the Southwest and West, Yen The District (Bac Giang Province) to the East, and Hiep Hoa District (Bac Giang) to the South

Phu Binh District is the farthest southern point of Thai Nguyen Province It is not far from Thai Nguyen City (28 kilometers from district center to city center), Gang Thep industrial zone, Hanoi Capital, and conveniently located on the national traffic roads, so it

is very easy and quick for its market economy and the social and economic exchanges with these centers to develop, which is an important ground advantage for Phu Binh District to move forward rapidly and firmly in the time of industrialization and

modernization in this 21st century

1.1.2 Natural conditions

Total area of the district is 249.36 km2 in which the largest section is used for agricultural purposes: 13,845.93 ha (55.52% total area) [30, p 1]

- Topography: the average gradient of about 0.04% decreases from Northeast to

Southwest; the average height difference is 14m, the lowest one of 10m is in Duong Thanh Commune The highest peak is on Bop Pass at 250m high above sea level

In general its topographic features include being comparatively flat with some low and slightly sloping downward-bow-shaped hills of 100 meters high at most The area with

sloping degree lower than 80 is majority (67.56% total area), which is an advantage for developing agriculture, especially growing food crops

- Climate and hydrology: Locating under the Tropic of Cancer, Phu Binh District owns the monsoon tropical climate (Phu Binh District is in the hot area of the province)

Besides, as its location is in the Northeast Vietnam, it features the typical climate of this area where the monsoon can easily be caught

+ The annual average temperature is 23.10C - 24.40C; the difference between the hottest and the coldest months is 13.70C

+ The annual average rainfall is 2000-5000 mm; the highest rainfall is on August and the lowest in January

+ The annual total time of sunlight is about 1206-1570 hours

+ The annual average humidity is 81-82%

+ Winds: in Summer Southeast breeze is prevailing; but in Winter with the Northeast monsoon, the weather is cold and dry, causing great troubles for people’s working The fact that Phu Binh District is in warm climate area is an advantage for agriculture, forestry, and local residents’ life It enables the development of a stable diverse

ecosystem in general, and agriculture and forestry in particular

- River system: Phu Binh District has the rich water supply of two rivers and three small streams

The Cau River, a river in the system of Thai Binh rivers, derives in Cho Don District - Bac Kan Province It runs through several districts such as Bach Thong, Phu Luong, Vo Nhai, then runs in northwest - southeast direction to Thai Nguyen City, Phu Binh District, Pho Yen District and Bac Giang Province Its part in Phu Binh District is 29 kilometers long, starting from Thac Huong Dam (Dong Lien Commune), running through 9 other communes and finally entering Pho Yen District in Cha Commune The average width of the river is 120 meter This river is a quite convenient waterway and a rich source of water for farming

The Dao River (also known as Mang River) which derives from Thac Huong Dam (Dong Lien Commune) runs through nine communes with the total length of 31 kilometers before entering Bac Giang Province and joining the Thuong River This river is an

important part of the huge irrigation system supplying water for 1800 hectares of farms in Phu Binh District and thousands of farms in Hiep Hoa, Tan Yen and Yen The Districts - Bac Giang Province

Phu Binh District also has three main small streams deriving from northeast area running through Ban Dat, Dao Xa, Tan Khanh, Tan Kim and Tan Thanh Communes and falling into the Cau River

Such river system has made it much easier to develop farming in Phu Binh District

1.2 Social and economic situation

* Economy:

Local residents in Phu Binh District mainly live on agriculture The farming land area is 13,845.93 hectares of which 10,085.14 hectares is used for annual plants, 2,296.55

hectares for gardens, 1,060.43 hectares for perennial trees [32, p.1, 2] With such a

potential and hard-working people with rich producing experience, Phu Binh District has the right conditions for agricultural development In addition to food crops, vegetables, Phu Binh District also has 400.8 hectares of water surface for aquaculture Although agriculture still faces much troubles, and depends on the nature, Phu Binh District has

been considered to be a granary, a rich labor force and a rich natural resource of Thai Nguyen Province

Besides agriculture, in Phu Binh District there are many handicrafts, especially pottery making in Lang Ta Village, and rattan knitting in many villages in Diem Thuy, Thuong Dinh communes, etc

Because its location and transportation are convenient for exchange of goods, especially for supplying foods for markets of Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh and Hanoi, so commerce plays an important role in the local economy Phu Binh District has some big markets near main roads such as Don Market, Cau Market, Tan Duc Market, Hanh

Market, etc., which are the exchanging points for nearby regions Huong Son Town is more and more widen and crowded, attracted a large number of residents coming to open their businesses

Phu Binh people and Cell of Communist Party have well performed the reforms initiated and led by Vietnam Communist Party (1986) through the Party Congresses (from the Ninth Congress (1986) to the Fourteenth Congress (2005-2010)) and obtained great achievements in every fields and gradually made right use of local potentials In 2011, although Phu Binh District people and government faced the same difficult challenges as other parts of the country, they have gained significant results in realizing

socio-economic development tasks, such as:

Economic growth rate (GDP) in the area is estimated at 11.5%

Per capita income is estimated at 13 million dongs/person/ year

Production of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries in 2011 increased by 3.9% (especially farming production increased by 5.2% (thanks to the two successful rice crops, the most productive crops ever before, other crops quite stable and favorable) Total grain output

of the whole year was 75,877 tons, an increase of 3.7% over 2010

Total state budget revenue in the area was estimated at 48.5 billion dongs

The production value of industry and small-scale industry (at constant price of 1994) was estimated at 75 billion dongs

Meat finisher output was 17,000 tons, increasing 6.25% over 2010

The district forest area was 351 hectares, an increase of 56.5% over 2010

The production value per 1 hectare of farming land (present price) was estimated at 67 million dongs, increasing 9 million over the plan

Forest coverage rate reached 25%

* Society:

According to the preliminary population census of Phu Binh District, as on April 1st,

2009 its total population is 133,322 people in 34,963 households, of which the rural population is 125,887 people, and urban population is 7435 people The average

population density is 556 people per square kilometer, coming second after Thai Nguyen City

Besides land and natural resources, the potential in labor force of Phu Binh District is noteworthy

In 2011, Phu Binh District has created new jobs for 3,100 employees, equally 103% of plan targets, of which 130 people are sent to work abroad under predefined period,

equally 108.3% of the plan of the year; District vocational training center provided

training and associated training for over 702 people, equally 140% of the plan, 96.8% of which have been employed immediately after being trained

The crude birth rate has been reduced to 0.3‰ (estimated) which is 0.1‰ lower than planned

The poor household rate has been reduced to 5.07% (estimated) which is 2,07% lower than planned

Material and spiritual life of the local people of all groups has been significantly

improved; many social policies to support ethnic minorities, the poor and disadvantaged areas have been seriously implemented The policies of the Party and State have been realized comprehensively, timely and effectively

The district has 21 kindergartens, 21 primary schools and 21 secondary schools, 03 high schools, 01 continuing education center, 01 career consulting center, 01 vocational

training center; all communes or town have their own community learning centers So far the district has completely removed illiteracy, completed popular secondary school

education and has had 25 schools having achieved the National Standard The schools and their facilities have been solidly built

Health care for people: District Hospital continues to be invested in infrastructure and facilities; 100 percents of commune health centers have doctors with their facilities, medical instruments being enhanced; population and family planning propaganda co-operators and village physicians are available in most of the villages and town’s

population groups Therefore, basic health care needs have been met

The percentage of malnourished children under 5 years old has been reduced to 21.4% The percentage of rural households using hygienic water is 75%

Social security and the local army training have been well organized, met 100% of the targets

Infrastructures: the traffic system has received great interest and investment; the project

of renovating and upgrading Highway 37 has been completed; many inter-communal roads have been invested to widen and asphalt such as Cau May - Tan Kim - Tan Khach Road, Cau May- Dong Lien Road, Uc Son - Tan Thanh - Hop Tien Road, and many others are under plans to be built in the short coming time Facilities for schools, classes, hospitals, and clinics have been being well invested All villages have been provided with national electricity to use in daily life and production These are favorable conditions to evoke potentials and strengths, to boost the economy of the mountainous areas with large ethnic minorities

Road system of Phu Binh District is relatively dense Highway 37 from Thai Nguyen City runs through the entire length of the district to Bac Giang National Highway 38 from Diem Thuy via Ha Chau and Kha Son to Nha Nam (Bac Giang) In addition to the two main highways, Phu Binh also has 120 kilometers of inter-communal, 198 kilometers

of inter-village roads, enabling car drive in every village in the district

Social security situation: the political security and social safety in the district is always stable; all ethnic minorities in the district absolutely believe in the leadership of the Party and local authorities The communes of Tan Khanh, Tan Hoa, Tan Kim, Ban Dat and Dong Lien have done good work in keeping security in the border areas over the years

1.3 San Diu People in Phu Binh District - Thai Nguyen Province

1.3.1 The people’s name, historical origin and population

In Vietnam San Diu people is a minority group with small population, living mainly in the North: about 40,000 people, living on some low hills of the Quang Ninh, Hung Yen,

Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, and Thanh Hoa [4, p 87]

San Diu people call themselves “San Deo Nhin”, Sino-Vietnamese transcription is “Son Dzao Nhan” which means Dzao People on the hills Other peoples call San Diu people with different names basing on their dressing style, their house style, etc., such as: Man Quan Coc or Trai Coc (people with short pans), Man Vay Xe (people with slit skirts), Trai Dat, etc

Not until Mar 1960 the name San Diu was officially recognized by the National

Department of Statistics From that time on, the name San Diu has been officially used in all administrative documents Nowadays, the name San Diu is popularly used around the country

The origin of San Diu people has not been revealed, as there is no historical evidence about that; and all we have is by guess

To tell about their own origin, San Diu people in Phu Binh District - Thai Nguyen

Province created the mythical story “Frog King”, which is popularly told among the people The story tells that under the brutal reign of Chinese feudalism (from late Ming Dynasty to early Qing Dynasty in the Seventeenth Century), San Diu people were caused

to be in poverty and homelessness; some of the survival together ran away toward the Southeast Asia countries to settle down, including Vietnam

Although their origin has not been determined, San Diu people are always aware of being

a people with the name San Diu they called themselves No one remembers how they migrated to Vietnam; only the pain and frightening are left in their mind However, they still clearly remember when they joined the Vietnamese peoples to live here

In his book “ San Diu people in Vietnam”, Ma Khanh Bang wrote: “After entering

Vietnam, San Diu people crossed over Hoang Chuc Cao Son Mountain to Ha Coi, Tien Yen before spreading to many other places Some of them went along the coastline to Dam Ha, Mong Cai, Hoanh Bo, Mao Khe, Dong Trieu and a small number went to Chi Linh (Hai Duong), whereas most of them followed the Yen Tu Range to Luc Nam, Luc Ngan, Lang Giang, Yen The (Bac Giang), and then from there moved to Vinh Yen, Phuc Yen (Vinh Phuc), Tuyen Quang (Ha Tuyen), Thai Nguyen (Bac Thai) So, San Diu people have been residing on the large midland from the left bank of Red River to the East of the Northern Vietnam Besides a number of residents gathering in some communes of the former Bac Giang Province, the majority live in the Northeast and Southeast sides of Tam Dao Range in nowadays Vinh Phu, Ha Tuyen and Bac Thai provinces”[2, p 17]

In Phu Binh District there are many peoples residing together such as: Chinese, Nung, San Chay, Dzao, H’mong, etc The population of Phu Binh District - Thai Nguyen

Province was 134,150 people according to statistic of the 01/04/2009 census, in which San Diu people’s population was 3115, accounting for 2.3% of the district population

Table 1.1: Phu Binh District’s population by ethnicity, gender, urban and rural area