I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Psalm 121:1-2
 | There are more than 550,000 Yao living high in the mountains of northern Vietnam. And the combined total Yao in China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam is about 3 million. But this figure includes other ethnic groups who have adopted the name but speak other languages. The Yao, proper, include only those who speak Mien. Therefore, the "true" Yao probably toatal about 2 million people, not including about 15,000 who have fled to Western nations to escape persecution. Large Yao migrations from China commenced in the 1200's and 1300's and some have entered Vietnam as recently as the 1950's. |
| Most of the Yao in Vietnam are from the Mien group, though several subgroups of the Mun are well represented. The Yao are broken into numerous subgroups, which are often called by various names. This practice makes it very difficult to tell which groups are which. For example, one Mien group is called the "Red Yao;" another known as the "Yao with white trousers." The Yao are also called "Dao" in Vietnam. |
| The Yao is clearly a people with a great need for the gospel, though there are reports of 3,000 people recently being converted. Only about 150 Christian Yao are known to be in China. |
Note: Some of this information is from: The Peoples of Vietnam, A Collection of Prayer Profiles by Asian Minorities Outreach, Darawan Printing,1998. Some is also from The Yao -- The Mien and Mun Yao in China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, by Jess G. Pourret, River Books, Bangkok, 2002.
03/19/2003