Focus Taiwan
Date: 01/25/2020
By Fan Ching-yi and Evelyn Kao\

Taipei, Jan. 25 (CNA) There are many traditional customs practiced by ethnic minority groups in Vietnam to mark the "Tet" Lunar New Year festivities, including the slapping of bottoms by the Hmong ethnic minority as a means of courtship.

In addition to the majority Kinh ethnic group, which makes up 85.4 percent of Vietnam's population, the country has 53 ethnic minority groups, including the 1 million Hmong who live mainly in mountainous areas of northern Vietnam's Ha Giang and Lao Cai provinces.

The Lunar New Year is a time for the Hmong people to reflect on the past year and seek out new beginnings, and is also a time for family reunions, entertainment and courtship.

In colorful, embroidered traditional Hmong attire, single Hmong people of all ages in the Meo Vac highlands of Ha Giang gather in male and female groups for traditional games during Tet, including beanbag games, tug-of-war, ball challenges and love song duets.    [FULL  STORY]