Lables: Chinese Group, Ethnic Groups, Ngai ethnic group
Proper name: San Ngai.
Other names: Ngai Hac Ca, Ngai Lau Man, He, Sin, Dan, Le, Xuyen.
Population: 1.154 people (1999 census).
Language: The Ngai language belongs to the Chinese language group (Sino-Tibetan language family).
History: The Ngai have many different origins. They immigrated to Vietnam in many different waves, which happened during ancient and contemporary times.
Production activities: The Ngai are agriculturists who practice wet rice cultivation as their main livelihood. In addition to rice, the Ngai also grow other crops like corn, potatoes, and cassava, and they raise cattle. The Ngai groups who live on the coast and islands do mainly fishing. Handicrafts such as bamboo curtains and bamboo mattresses, carpentry, plastering, metal working, brick making, limestone work, etc., also play a significant role in the Ngai's living.
Diet: The Ngai eats 3 meals per day; they like to eat rice soup, however, the main food is vegetables. They like to use spices such as garlic, pepper, and ginger... in their meals.
Clothing: Often, Ngai clothing is not embroidered. Men wear trousers, and shirts with 2 or 3 pockets. Women wear long shirts that have 5 panels, buttoned under the right arm. Ngai women like to put their hair in braids that are wrapped around their heads.
Housing: The Ngai live scattered around the provinces of Bac Giang, Cao Bang, Lang Son, and Quang Ninh. They live in earthen houses with different architectural styles and roof types. Those who live on the coastline and islands usually live right on their boats.
Transportation: Residents of the highlands use carrying baskets and baskets hung on shoulder pole. Those who live near or on the sea use boats or motor boats.
Social organization: The Ngai have small patriarchal families. Their community relations remain very strong, though there has been some distinction made between the rich and the poor. In each village, the position of the head of the largest family line is extolled. He has a big role in solving all the disputes within the village.
The Ngai recognize relatives and divide family branches through the middle name system. The maternal side, especially an uncle called khao, has an important role in all kinship relations. Nevertheless, the Ngai still consider the father's lineage
Marriage: The Ngai practice monogamy. There are two steps in a Ngai wedding: the wedding ceremony itself, and the nuptial night ceremony. Marriage happens at an early age, and is highly commercial. After the wedding, the bride stays with her husband's family. Only under special circumstances (e.g., the bride doesn't have any brother, or the groom's family is too crowded) will the couple stay with the bride's parents.
Birth: Women who are pregnant or have just given birth are to be refrained from eating certain foods and doing certain things. Two or three days after birth, the infant is already fed some flour.
Funerals: The Ngai believe that, after death, the spirit moves to another world to live. Therefore, they bury the deceased together with the things that he/she used while living. There are many complicated steps in a funeral, such as announcing the funeral, putting the deceased in a coffin, burial, the ceremony that opens the grave, etc.
Beliefs: The Ngai believe in the existence of two separated parts in a person (the physical and the spiritual), as well as in the existence of two different worlds (the real world and the supernatural world of-Gods and spirits). The Ngai often worship many objects such as ancestors, Gods* Buddha, forest's Ghost, spirits, etc. There are different worshiping rituals for each subject, using different sacrificial offerings and conducted by different groups of religious specialists.
Festivals: The Ngai celebrate lunar New Year (Tet). In addition, there are other Ngai holidays such as the 3rd of March Festival, double Five Festival (on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month), the 15th of July Festival, and the new rice Festival (the 10th of October).
Education: The Ngai speak many different dialectics of the southern Chinese language. However, in the past, not many Ngai could write. Today, most of the children go to grade schools to learn the national language.
Artistic activities: The Ngai have inherited a rich treasure of folk culture that includes folksongs, folk dances, and especially oral literature. They also have many legends, fairytales, idioms, and proverbs, which express their concepts on life and the universe. These concepts carry much human value.
Entertainment: The Ngai like to play spinning top, game of sticks, chasing, badminton, shuttlecock, and other community games.
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