Vietnam is a multiethnic country with over fifty distinct groups (54 are recognized by the Vietnamese government), each with its own language, lifestyle, and cultural heritage. Many of the local ethnic groups are known collectively in the West as Montagnard or
Degar. The largest ethnic groups are:
Kinh (Viet) 86.2%,
Tay 1.9%,
Tai Ethnic 1.7%,
Mường 1.5%,
Khmer Krom (Khơ Me Crộm) 1.4%,
Hoa 1.1%,
Nùng 1.1%,
Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census). The Vietnamese term for ethnic group is
người thiểu số or
dân tộc thiểu số (literally "minority people").