Minorities People

San Chay Ethnic Group

History - Geography of the Sán Chay Ethnic Group

Despite scattered settlements interspersed with other minority ethnic groups, the Sán Chay people have managed to maintain their own cultural identity. They possess unique folk melodies and musical instruments.

Historical Origins: The Sán Chay people migrated from China to Vietnam in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, approximately 300-500 years ago.

Geographical Distribution:

The Sán Chay people are scattered and coexist with other minority ethnic groups in several provinces located in the southeast of Northeast Vietnam, such as: Tuyên Quang (in districts like S?n D??ng, Yên S?n, Hàm Yên), Thái Nguyên (??ng H?, Phú L??ng, ??i T?...), B?c Giang (L?c Ng?n, S?n ??ng, L?c Nam, Yên Th?), Qu?ng Ninh (Bình Liêu, Ba Ch?, Tiên Yên, Hoành B?), Cao B?ng (B?o Lam, B?o L?c), L?ng S?n (L?c Bình, H?u L?ng), Phú Th? (?oan Hùng), V?nh Phúc (S?ng L?).

Population, Language:

Population: According to the 2019 census of 53 minority ethnic groups, the total population of the Sán Chay people is 201,398 individuals, with 102,750 males and 98,648 females, with an average household size of 3.9 individuals per household, and 94.7% of the population residing in rural areas.

Language: The Sán Chay people consist of two regional groups: Cao Lan and Sán Ch?. The Cao Lan language belongs to the Tày-Thái language group (Thái-Ka?ai linguistic family), while the Sán Ch? language belongs to the Hán language group (Han-Tibetan linguistic family).