UNIT 4.

ETHNIC GROUPS OF VIETNAM

A. PHONETICS
Exercise 1. Put the words in the correct column depending on the pronunciation.
folk housework sticky costume close culture
community city know gardening tiger gathering
big group get average energy gentle
/k/ /g/

Exercise 2. Choose the words whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others in
each group.
1. A. folk B. know C. monkey D. kitchen
2. A. close B. community C. costume D. peaceful
3. A. school B. ache C. chair D. chorus
4. A. gathering B. grandmother C. energy D. group
5. A. guest B. average C. large D. village
Exercise 3: Choose the word which is stressed differently from the others.
1. A. mountain B. ethnic C. bamboo D. terraced
2. A. people B. staircase C. technique D. village
3. A. beautiful B. musical C. instrument D. communal
4. A. community B. traditional C. population D. industrial
5. A. popular B. different C. gathering D. material
B. VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR
Exercise 1. Underline the right word in brackets to complete each sentence.
1. (Terraced fields/ Stairs/ Cottages) are agricultural areas that are constructed as a series of steps on hilly
slopes.
2. The (stilt house/ communal house/ detached house) was a central meeting point for the community's
events and celebrations.
3. Vietnam is a multi-nationality country with 54 (ethnic/ language/ music) groups including the Kinh
people, accounting for 87% of the country's population.
4. Some ethnic (majorities/ minorities/ origins) like the Tay, Hmong, Yao... live mostly in the mountainous
regions in the north.
5. The (gong/ bamboo flute/ rock xylophone) is a simple instrument consisting of a stem of fine bamboo,
one mouthpiece, and 10 finger holes.
6. Five-colour (sticky/ wet/ melted) rice is one of the most popular dishes by the Muong in the north of
Vietnam.
Exercise 2. Fill each blank with a word/ phrase in the box.
musical instruments Communual house stilt houses raise fields
ethnic group minority groups traditional livestock heritage site
1. The Cham in Ninh Thuan _____________________ sheep and cows for their living.
2. ________________ help people in northern Vietnam prevent cruel animals and floods.
3.___________________ is used for community meetings and events.
4. The ________________ of Vietnam preserve their unique customs and contribute to the nation's cultural
picture.
5. The bamboo flute is one of the most popular ________________ of Vietnam.
6. Visiting wife's parents - on the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year - is a ________________ custom of Tay
and Nung people.
7. The Hmong ________________ has a rich cultural heritage and distinctive traditions.
1
8. The farmer raised healthy ________________ to provide meat and dairy products for the local
community
9. My Son sanctuary has been recognized by UNESCO as a world _______________.
10. The landscape consists of low hills with terraced ______________.
Exercise 3. Answer the following questions.
1. Do they have a big breakfast every morning? - Yes, _____________.
2. Did the students go to school at 6.30? - No, _____________.
3. Are there any flowers in the garden? - Yes, _____________.
4. Is her sister a good student? - No, _____________.
5. Is the bank opposite the supermarket? - No, _____________.
6. Is Van's brother twenty years old? - Yes, _____________.
7. Will Mr. Kha live in a big house in Ha Noi? - No, _____________.
Exercise 4. Complete the sentences with do/does/is /are/don't/doesn't/ isn’t/aren’t.
1. _____________ you students? - Yes, I _____________.
2. _____________they play soccer after school? - No, they _____________.
3. _____________ Lan have Literature on Mondays and Tuesdays? - No, she _____________.
4. _____________ her parents get up at 5 o'clock? - Yes, they _____________.
5. _____________ there any stores near Minh's house? - Yes, there _____________.
6. _____________ it a beautiful house? - Yes, it _____________.
7. _____________ her books small? - No, they _____________.
Exercise 5. Choose the correct option to complete the sentence.
1. ____________ is your blood type?
A. Which B. Who C. What D. How
2. ____________ can I buy some milk? - At the supermarket.
A. Which B. Who C. Where D. How
3. ____________ much do you weigh?
A. Which B. Who C. What D. How
4. ____________ hat is this? - It's my brother's.
A. Which B. Whose C. What D. How
5. ____________ can I park my car? - Over there.
A. Where B. Who C. What D. How
6. ____________ tall are you?
A. Which B. Who C. What D. How
7. ____________ do you expect me to do?
A. Which B. Who C. What D. How
8. ____________ is that woman? - I think she is a teacher.
A. Which B. Who C. When D. How
9. ____________ book is this? - It's mine.
A. Which B. Who C. Whose D. How
10. ____________ do you usually eat lunch? - At noon.
A. Which B. When C. What D. How
11. ____________ do you wash clothes? - Every week.
A. Which B. Who C. What D. How often
Exercise 5. Change the sentences into Yes/ No questions.
1. I have ever been to a village of ethnic minorities.
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. Pho is a popular traditional dish in Vietnam.
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Ethnic groups in Vietnam speak their own languages.
__________________________________________________________________________________

2
4. They will visit the Nung village next month.
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. They held festivals and ceremonies with songs and many traditional games.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 6. Make questions for the underlined parts in the sentences.
1. Ethnic minorities worship their ancestors.
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. There are 54 ethnic groups in our country.
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. The chapi is the Raglai’s musical instrument.
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. The Yao people are famous for their elaborate costumes.
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. The Hani people live in Lai Chau and Lao Cai.
___________________________________________________________________________________
6. The symbol of the Ede is the gong.
___________________________________________________________________________________
7. It's about seven kilometers from the center to the Museum of Ethnology.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 7. Decide whether these nouns are countable (C) or uncountable (U).
1. The children are playing games. _____________
2. I don't like orange juice. _____________
3. She prefers drinking coffee. _____________
4. There's some money on the table. _____________
5. My mother is baking cakes. _____________
6. There are a lot of ceiling fans in our classroom. _____________
7. They need some glue to fix the door. _____________
8. Have we got any bread? _____________
9. He drank three big glasses of wine yesterday. _____________
10. How many chairs are there in the living room? _____________
C. SPEAKING
Exercise 1. Choose the best answer to each question below.
1. Tom: What do you like best about Sa Pa? - Jim: ______________
A. It is in the north of Vietnam. B. I like its local markets best.
2. Linda: Where can we find the most beautiful terraced fields? - Jane: ______________
A. In Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai province. B. You can see them in the spring.
3. Mark: When is the Ban Flower Festival? - Nancy: ______________
A. It's in spring. B. About 260 kilometers from Ha Noi.
4. Louis: How tall is an average stilt house? - Janet: ______________
A. About 5-6 metres tall. B. It is longer than a flat.
5. Trang: What do you think about life in the mountains? - Linh: ______________
A. I think it's very interesting. People in the mountains live close to nature.
B. I prefer living in the mountains to living in the city because it's peaceful.
D. READING
Exercise 1. Choose the correct word A, B, or C for each of the gaps to complete the following text.
With around 1.7 million people, the Tay are the second (1) ________ ethnic group in Vietnam after the majority
Viet ethnic group. They live mainly in Vietnam's northern and northwestern provinces – Cao Bang, Bac Kan,
Lang Son, Ha Giang, Thai Nguyen, and Lao Cai. They (2) ________ along the valleys and the lower slopes of
the mountains.
Tay villages are usually (3) ________ at the feet of mountains and are often named after a mountain, field or

3
river. A Tay village has from 20 to over a hundred households. They live in wooden (4)_______houses on the
high posts with tile or palm leaf roofs.
Both men and women wear clothes made (5) ________ hand-woven cotton, dyed with indigo. Women wear
high collared, waist or knee-length shirts buttoned on the right side. Their pants have roomy legs and a wide
belt. Tay women enjoy (6)_______ ewelry, particularly silver necklaces and arm and wrist bracelets. Men's
clothing is similar to that of women.
The Tay have developed a rich (7) _________ of poems, songs, epics, tales, funny stories, and dance. Popular
(8) _______ singing genres of the Tay are call-and-response singing, lullaby, then, and wedding and funeral
singing. Then is sung at important events and is an indispensable part of the spiritual and religious life of the
Tay.
1. A. bigger B. biggest C. big D. the biggest
2. A. stay B. take C. arrive D. inhabit
3. A. to build B. built C. building D. build
4. A. detached B. tree C. stilt D. cottage
5. A. from B. in C. of D. with
6. A. to wear B. to wearing C. worn D. wearing
7. A. culture B. language C. clothes D. food
8. A. folk B. simple C. modern D. pop
Exercise 2. Read and choose the correct answer A,B,C or D
Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa are two main provinces where there are more than 1.4 million Muong people living.
They speak the Muong language which belongs to the Mon - Khmer group. However, some of them also know
the Kinh language. They cultivate mainly wet rice on terraced land, watered by small brooks. They also make
handicrafts and exploit forest products such as mushrooms, dried fungus, and ammonium to improve their
living condition.
Men dress in Indigo pajamas and women wear skirts with many colorful patterns knitted on. The Muong build
their houses on stilts with 4-roof architecture, which are about six feet off the ground. They are wooden houses
in the shade of big trees, huddling against the mountain, and looking out on their vast rice fields. Therefore, it is
convenient for their living and farming. The Muong follow traditional religious animism, which means that
they believe that non-living objects have spirits. They build altars in their houses to worship ancestral spirits
and other supernatural spirits. One of their most important festivals is the “Going to the Fields” ceremony.

1. Which province do the Muong live in Viet Nam?

A. Hoa Binh and Nghe An
B. Nghe An and Thanh Hoa
C. Thanh hoa and Hoa Binh
D. Nghe An and Quang Binh
2. What is the main agricultural activity of the Muong people?
A. Growing dry rice on hills
B. Cultivating wet rice on terraced fields
C. Making handicrafts and exploiting forest products
D. Raising livestock on mountains
3. What is the Muong people's traditional style of housing?
A. Houses made of bamboo on flat ground
B. Houses built on stilts, shaded by big trees
C. Four-story concrete houses near rivers
D. Wooden houses with tiled roofs in the plains
4. Which of the following is TRUE about the Muong people?
A. They primarily worship in communal temples.
B. They believe spirits exist in non-living objects.

4
 C. Their men wear colorful skirts with patterns.
D. They live in houses made entirely of concrete.
5. What is one of the important festivals of the Muong people?
A. Lunar New Year
B. Festival of Lights
C. “Going to the Fields” ceremony
D. Water-splashing Festival
Exercise 3. Read the text and then choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.
In Viet Nam, a market is a trading place, but many markets are not only about buying and selling things.
They reflect the life of the community. A traditional market is a social gathering point for people of all ages
and it is a new and exciting experience for children, a trading place for local craftsmen, and a chance for
young people to meet. People go to the traditional market not only to buy and sell things but also to eat,
drink, play games, and socialize. For example, if you go to Sa Pa Market, which is the highlands in the
north of Viet Nam, you can see people wearing their nicest clothes and spending all day long at the market.
They buy things, play the flute, dance, and sing. This is also a time to meet, make friends or look for lovers.
That is why this kind of gathering is also called "Love Market”. Some other countryside markets in the
Mekong Delta are held on boats. Most of the goods are sold at a floating market. The most exciting time is
in the early morning when boats arrive loaded up with agricultural products.

1. In Viet Nam, all markets are ______________.

A. only trading places B. only about buying things
C. only about selling things D. not only about buying and selling things
2. A traditional market is a social gathering point for ______________.
A. young people B. people of all ages
C. local craftsmen D. children
3. What can people do at the traditional market?
A. Sell and buy things only.
B. Buy and sell things, eat, drink and play games.
C. Buy things and eat.
D. Buy and sell things, eat, drink, play games and socialize.
4. What do the ethnic people who go to Sa Pa Market do?
A. They wear their nicest clothes, buy things, play the flute, dance and sing.
B. They ride on a horse and sing.
C. They drink a lot of wine and dance.
D. They buy the nicest clothes at the market and look for lovers.
5. Some of the markets in the Mekong Delta are held ______________are called floating markets.
A. along the roads B. on the paddy fields
C. on boats D. in the morning
E. WRITING
Exercise 1. Make up sentences using the words and phrases given.
1. Muong/ in Hoa Binh/ well-known/ their rich folk literature/ traditional songs.
________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Hung Kings/ be/ founders/ our nation/ and/ they/ become/ first kings/ our country.
________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Some ethnic peoples/ the mountainous regions/ still/ keep/ traditional way/ farming.
________________________________________________________________________________________
4. The/ mountain people/ Central Highlands/ use/ natural/ material/ build/ Rong house.
________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ethnic minority people/ Viet Nam/ have/ own/ customs/ traditions.
________________________________________________________________________________________
6. In our country,/ government/ always/ take care/ the people's life,/ especially/ ethnic groups'.
________________________________________________________________________________________

5
7. Many/ ethnic minority children/ remote or mountainous areas/ studying/ boarding schools
________________________________________________________________________________________
8. The/ mountain people/ Central Highlands/ use/ natural/ material/ build/ Rong house.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 2. Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first one.
1 The Tay families live simply, but they enjoy their way of life.
-> Even though __________________________________________________________________________
2. Let’s ask the guide for more information.
-> Why don’t we________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the price of these traditional shawls?
-> How much___________________________________________________________________________
4. No other house in the village is as tall as the communal house.
-> The communal house is ________________________________________________________________
5. The Ma people weave cloth very well.
-> The Ma people are ____________________________________________________________________
6. How high is the mountain?
-> What’s ______________________________________________________________________________
7. What time does the folk dance performance start?
-> When ________________________________________________________________________________
8. Who do these beautiful cottages belong to?
-> Whose ________________________________________________________________________________