Nùng people

The Nùng (pronounced as noong [nuːŋ]) are an ethnic minority in Vietnam whose language belongs to the Central Tai branch of the Tai-Kadai language family. The Nùng sometimes call themselves as Tho (Vietnamese: Thổ, a shared name between the Tày and the Cuối, literally means Natives). The term Thai Nung is also used to distinguish them with the Chinese Nùng who were the majority ethnic group in the Nung Autonomous Territory of Hai Ninh (1947-1954). The Nùng's ethnic name is often mingled with the Tày as Tày-Nùng.

The Nùng reside primarily in the northern Vietnamese provinces of Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, with considerable numbers in Bắc Giang, Bắc Kạn, Thái Nguyên, Quảng Ninh, Lào Cai, Hà Giang, Tuyên Quang, Yên Bái and they can also be found in Lâm Đồng, Đắc Lắc (migrated after the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979) and Hồ Chí Minh City.

According to the Vietnam census, the population of the Nùng numbered about 856,412 by 1999 and 968,800 by 2009. It's estimated to be more than 1,000,000 in 2014 (based on the 2009 census and 5 years of population growth). In Vietnam, the Nùng are the third largest Tai-speaking group, preceded by the Tày and the Thái (Black Tai, White Tai and Red Tai groups), and sixth overall among national minority groups.