Homeland of the Montagnards: Vietnam's Central Highlands

The Montagnards (French for "mountain people"; Vietnamese: Thượng) are indigenous ethnic groups native to the Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên) of Vietnam.

Core Provinces

• Gia Lai
• Kon Tum
• Đắk Lắk
• Lâm Đồng
• Đắk Nông

Key Groups

Major tribes: Jarai, Rhade (Êđê), Bahnar, Koho, Mnong, Stieng, Bru. Each has distinct languages (Austronesian or Mon-Khmer), customs, and social structures.

Historical Context

• Traditionally practiced swidden agriculture, animism, communal longhouse living.
• Allied with US Special Forces during Vietnam War ("Yards").
• Post-1975: Faced land loss, religious persecution (Christianity), forced assimilation, and marginalization.
• Significant diaspora in US (North Carolina, Washington state), Cambodia, and elsewhere.

The Central Highlands remain their cultural and spiritual heartland.