House.  The houses of the Xin and the Hac Ca subgroups usually have mud or adobe walls, perhaps to be more fire-proof.  They look like a fortress, with few windows.  The main interior usually has three rooms of different sizes. The central room  has the door, which faces the yard.  The main part of the house is supplemented by two lean-to additions. Sometimes, the house is built as one square block, but other times it has two wings, so that it is laid out in the shape of a letter "U ".    Some Ngai (Dan) live in seaside villages in houses on stilts over the water, or on the beach just above high tide.  Usually the houses on stilts are designed to be about three feet above high tide.

       Crafts.  The Ngai are excellent craftsmen.  Trades include metal work, pottery, weaving, boat building, and  preparing dried shrimp and fish.  Mong Cai porcelain (Quang Ning) and Cat Hai fish sauce (Haiphong) have gained a national reputation.  Other crafts include the making of bamboo curtains and mats, carpentry, plaster work, brick making, and masonry. 

        Society.  Ngai society is based upon the nuclear family, which is patriarchal.   All things are under the father's control.  Only sons can inherit assets.   There is a family lineage is reckoned through both the father's and mother's side, by use of middle names.  The maternal uncle, called the khao, also has an important role.   In each village, the head of the largest family becomes the village chief.  He is highly respected and is the one who settles disputes and keeps harmony among the people.

        Music and Literature.  The musical instruments of the Ngai are not distinctive, being similar to other Chinese groups.  The sea-going Ngai have encyclopedic knowledge of the sea:  navigation routes (using the stars) , fishing grounds, climate, currents  and forecasting weather by observing the color and movement of clouds.  They preserve this knowledge in a collection of sayings, folk tales, and proverbs.  They also have epic tales of battles against nature, and wars fought for freedom.  Like other ethnic groups, they like to sing songs with alternate verses (often with a verse sung by young women and another by young men).  The Ngai call these songs San Co and they are often performed at festivals and weddings.  The most popular games are badminton, tag and pick up sticks.

  Livelihood   The upland Ngai grow wet rice in terraced fields as the basis of their livelihood.  In the lower fields they practice typical paddy agriculture by transplanting rice seedlings. However, the Ngai also construct fields on the hillsides and reclaim areas near the sea by building dikes and draining the land.  They build terraced fields much like other ethnic groups.   Besides upland rice,  and corn (maize) they grow manioc (cassava), sweet potatoes and other vegetables.   In upland areas they do raise domestic livestock such as chickens, other poultry, cattle, pigs, and horses. One breed of Ngai hogs (Mong Cai) is locally famous.  It is also common to grow cash crops such as flax and cinnamon.  Some fishing families also keep livestock and raise a garden as a sideline.  Those living near the coast (especially the Dan) are fisherman, which is their main livelihood.  They fish at sea, using nets or lines.  Women and children also gather shell-fish and crabs.  The Dan also sometimes raise turtles, and often keep chickens in cages on their boats.  Some of the Dan are wealthy.  They have large boats and nets capable of catching between 10 and 50 tons of fish each day. Even the wealthy families often live on their boats, though some also have houses on land. 

01/27/2004