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 điệp khúc
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
Detached house (n) nhà biệt lập
Exercise 1. Underline the right word in brackets to complete each sentence. -> Semi-detached house (n) nhà song lập
1. (Terraced fields/ Stairs/ Cottages) are agricultural areas that are constructed as a series of steps on hilly
slopes. hilly slopes: sườn đồi
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 _____________________
raise sheep and cows for their living.
2. ________________
Stilt house help people in northern Vietnam prevent cruel animals and floods.
3.___________________
Communal house is used for community meetings and events.
4. The ________________ of Vietnam preserve their unique customs and contribute to the nation's cultural
minority groups
picture.
5. The bamboo flute is one of the most popular ________________
musical instruments of Vietnam.
6. Visiting wife's parents - on the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year - is a ________________traditional custom of Tay
and Nung people.
7. The Hmong ________________
ethnic group has a rich cultural heritage and distinctive traditions.
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8. The farmer raised healthy ________________
livestock to provide meat and dairy products for the local
community
9. My Son sanctuary has been recognized by UNESCO as a world _______________. heritage site
10. The landscape consists of low hills with terraced ______________. fields
Exercise 3. Answer the following questions.
1. Do they have a big breakfast every morning? - Yes, _____________. they do
2. Do the students go to school at 6.30? - No, _____________. they don't
3. Are there any flowers in the garden? - Yes, _____________. there are
4. Is her sister a good student? - No, _____________.
she isn't
5. Is the bank opposite the supermarket? - No, _____________. it isn't
6. Is Van's brother twenty years old? - Yes, _____________.
he is
7. Does Mr. Kha live in a big house in Ha Noi? - No, _____________. he doesn't
Exercise 4. Complete the sentences with do/does/is /are/don't/doesn't/ isn’t/aren’t.
1. _____________
Are you students? - Yes, I _____________.
am
2. _____________they
Do play soccer after school? - No, they _____________. don't
3. _____________
Does Lan have Literature on Mondays and Tuesdays? - No, she _____________. doesn't
4. _____________ her parents get up at 5 o'clock? - Yes, they _____________.
Do do
5. _____________
Are there any stores near Minh's house? - Yes, there _____________. are
6. _____________
Is it a beautiful house? - Yes, it _____________.it
7. _____________
Are her books small? - No, they _____________. aren't
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.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Have you ever been to a village of ethnic minorities?
2. Pho is a popular traditional dish in Vietnam.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Is Pho a popular traditional dish in Vietnam?
3. Ethnic groups in Vietnam speak their own languages.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Do Ethnic groups in Vietnam speak their own languages?

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4. They will visit the Nung village next month.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Will they visit the Nung village next month?
5. They held festivals and ceremonies with songs and many traditional games.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Did they hold 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.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Who do ethnic minorities worship?
2. There are 54 ethnic groups in our country.
__________________________________________________________________________________
How many ethnic groups are there in your country?
3. The chapi is the Raglai’s musical instrument.
__________________________________________________________________________________
Whose musical instrument is the chapi?
4. The Yao people are famous for their elaborate costumes.
__________________________________________________________________________________
What are The Yao people famous for?
5. The Hani people live in Lai Chau and Lao Cai.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Where do The Hani people live?
6. The symbol of the Ede is the gong.
___________________________________________________________________________________
What is the symbol of the Ede?
7. It's about seven kilometers from the center to the Museum of Ethnology.
___________________________________________________________________________________
How far is it 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. _____________c
2. I don't like orange juice. _____________
u
3. She prefers drinking coffee. _____________u
4. There's some money on the table. _____________ u
5. My mother is baking cakes. _____________ c
6. There are a lot of ceiling fans in our classroom. _____________ c
7. They need some glue to fix the door. _____________u
8. Have we got any bread? _____________ u
9. He drank three big glasses of wine yesterday. _____________ c
10. How many chairs are there in the living room? _____________ c
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

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river. A Tay village has from 20 to over a hundred households. They live in wooden (4)_______houses on the
cột
high posts with tile or palm leaf roofs. chàm
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)_______ jewelry, 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 ở lại tạm thời B. take C. arrive + at địa điểm D. inhabit cư trú, sinh sống (lâu dài)
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.

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 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.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The Muong in Hoa Binh is well-known for the rich folk literature and traditional songs.
2. Hung Kings/ be/ founders/ our nation/ and/ they/ become/ first kings/ our country.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Hung Kings are the founders of our nation and they become the first kings of our country.

3. Some ethnic peoples/ the mountainous regions/ still/ keep/ traditional way/ farming.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Some ethnic peoples in the mountainous still keep traditional way to farming.
4. The/ mountain people/ Central Highlands/ use/ natural/ material/ build/ Rong house.
The mountain people in Central Highlands use natural material to build Rong house.
________________________________________________________________________________________
5. ethnic minority people/ Viet Nam/ have/ own/ customs/ traditions.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The ethnic minority people in Viet Nam have their own customs and traditions.
6. In our country,/ government/ always/ take care/ the people's life,/ especially/ ethnic groups'.
________________________________________________________________________________________
In our country, government always take care of the people's life, especially ethnic groups'.

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