Country: Vietnam

Group: Cham

Date Finalized: 4-11-2020

Team: Sophia Agne (Lead), Giselle Chavez Lopez, Aracely Esquer

The Cham are an ethnic group that predominantly reside in Southern Vietnam. Under the Champa empire, the Cham ruled what is now modern-day Vietnam for nearly 900 years (High, 2005). At the end of the 17th century, many of the Cham were forced out of the country by the Vietnamese (Thongnoi, 2020). Since this period, the Cham’s customs and culture have been suppressed by the Vietnamese government. Vietnamese government policy has gradually led to the decline of the Cham’s native language. According to National Geographic, the government requires Vietnamese to be spoken in, “schools, commerce, and public activities” (Bray, 2014). Additionally, the government has banned the Cham custom of keeping deceased family members in the home (Bray, 2014). Based on the evidence, the active suppression of the Cham’s culture by the Vietnamese government amounts to ethnocide. The data rating was determined to be a 3. There was a substantial amount of reputable information documenting the Cham’s experiences.

Sources

  1. Bray, Adams. “The Cham: Descendants of Ancient Rulers of South China Sea Watch Maritime Dispute From Sidelines.” National Geographic (2014).
  2. High, M. (2005, March 6). Lost: Ancient kingdom of the Cham. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/la-tr-vietnam6mar06-story.html
  3. Thongnoi, J. (2020, March 8). Bangkok’s Cham community strive to keep matriarchal heritage alive through silk weaving. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3074106/bangkoks-cham-community-strive-keep-matriarchal