The Cham

The Cham are also called Cham, Chien Thanh and Hroi They have a population of about 99,000 people inhabiting in concentration in the provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. An other pan of the Cham lives in An Giang, Tay Ninh, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City The Hroi small group alone settles in southwest Binh Thuan and north-west Phu Yen.

Cham language belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian Group. The Cham fallow Islam and Brahmanism, Here lslam is divided into two groups Ba Ni (old Islam) and Islam (new Is- lam). Brahmanism's doctrine drew about three-fifth of Cham population in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan.

The Cham who live in the plains have atradition of farming in submerged fields. They are experienced inintensive farming with irrigation, sowing seeds and applying fertilizers. The Cham are involved in business. Pottery making and cotton cloth weaving are two well-known sideline occupations.

In the past, the Cham did not plant trees within the villages. They have a habit of arranging the houses in shape of the chess-board Even each line age, a group of relative families or an extended family may get together in a square-or rectangular-shaped piece of land These pieces of land are separated by the paths, The houses face the south or the west. Most of the Cham villages contain about 1,000-2,000 inhabitants each.

Matriarchy has still existed in the Cham group living in central Vietnam, Though men play major role in the family but the heads of the families are often the aged women, Cham custom dictated that the daughters must take the family name of them other. The woman family marries the 9 room for its daughter. After marriage, the groom comes to live in his wife's house. The right of inheritance is resewed for the daughters only. In particular, the youngest daughter who must foster the aging parents is divided a greater part of inheritance than her sisters.

The Vietnamese Party and State pay great concern to restoring and preserving the traditional culture of the Cham. However, the life of the Cham, especially the Cham in Ninh Thuan and BinhThuan, is facing many difficulties anothe backwardness still exists among them.