Origin

The Vietnamese people possess their own spoken and written language. Vietnamese belongs to the Viet–Muong branch of the Austroasiatic language family. Ethnic Vietnamese primarily reside in the lowland plains and midland regions, but also inhabit coastal islands, mountainous areas, and the Central Highlands.

Wet-rice agriculture was established early and has long served as the economic foundation of the Vietnamese people. Through generations of cultivation, they have accumulated deep experiential knowledge, encapsulated in folk sayings and proverbs. In addition to rice farming, the Vietnamese engage in growing subsidiary crops, animal husbandry, and aquaculture.

Their daily staple is ordinary rice (cơm tẻ), while glutinous rice (cơm nếp) is reserved for ceremonial occasions. A traditional meal typically includes soup, vegetables, fish, meat, and various condiments. The Vietnamese enjoy drinking tea and rice wine, chewing betel nut, and smoking traditional tobacco pipes.

Traditional attire included short tunics and bare feet for men, who wore white trousers and black the tunics, turbans, and wooden clogs during the Lunar New Year. Women wore skirts, halter tops (yếm), short jackets, and headscarves. Vietnamese houses were ground-level dwellings with an integrated layout of house–courtyard–garden–pond. Communities lived in close-knit villages, governed by strict customary village codes (hương ước).

The Vietnamese practice multiple religions; however, ancestor worship remains the most deeply rooted belief. Family altars are placed in the most respectful part of the home. The Mother Goddess cult (Đạo Mẫu) represents a distinctive form of Vietnamese folk belief. Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year) is the most significant festival of the year, celebrated with numerous spring rituals. Other traditional festivals include the First Full Moon, Thanh Minh (Grave-visiting Festival), Hạ điền (Spring Plowing), Thượng điền (First Harvest Ceremony), Tết Đoan Ngọ (Mid-Year Festival), the Seventh Full Moon, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the New Rice Festival—each carrying distinct cultural meanings and ritual practices.

The Vietnamese have created a wide range of traditional crafts such as basket weaving, carpentry, masonry, wood carving, embroidery, weaving, block printing, and pottery on the spinning wheel. These "hundred crafts" (bách nghệ) reflect a high degree of ingenuity and craftsmanship. Vietnam possesses a rich heritage of folk literature and performing arts. Fields such as visual arts, music, and theatre have seen extensive development and increasing professionalization.

Vietnamese traditional games are diverse—adapted to each age group, gender, season, and social context. They include refined individual pastimes such as bird releasing, kite flying, and chess; group-oriented and physically active games such as tug of war, swinging, wrestling, and boat racing; and culturally significant competitions like vật cù (traditional wrestling), rice-cooking contests, and đánh pháo đất (clay firecracker duels).