The Sila are said to have migrated from a region west of China, through southern China and eventually into northern Laos.  The Sila in Vietnam say they are the descendants of seven families who fled Laos about 150 years ago to escape oppression from the Lao rulers.

For many years, the Sila were subject to the Thai people group. A tax collector frequently visited the Sila and collected high and unfair taxes for what the Thais considered the privilege of allowing the Sila to live on their land.  All Sila villages were ruled by Thai officials.  This, however, is no longer true.

Like many other mountain peoples, the Sila were semi-nomadic, moving their villages every 10-20 years, practicing slash-and-burn agriculture.  But in recent years, the Sila have been taking up permanent settlements along the banks of the Da River.

The Sila  have a life expectancy of only about 40 years.