Ethnologist: 'Thai people in Nghe An do not have the custom of wife-catching'

(Baonghean.vn) - “This is just an unusual phenomenon in society. Thai people in Nghe An do not have the custom of wife-catching.”, Dr. Vi Van An affirmed when talking about the “wife-catching” video clip that has stirred up the online community in recent days.

Dr. Vi Van An, working at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, is known as a leading expert on ethnology in Vietnam today. The Thai researcher from Nghe An has over 30 years of research on the culture of ethnic minority communities in Vietnam and many Southeast Asian countries.

Since the early days of researching ethnic minority culture, he has traveled to most of the ethnic minority areas in Nghe An and is very familiar with the wedding customs of the Thai community. “The Thai people in Nghe An do not have the custom of wife-catching,” Dr. An affirmed.

Dr. Vi Van An, working at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, said that wife-catching is not a custom of the Thai people. Photo: Vi An

The custom of wife kidnapping is unique to the Mong people. In many cases, people organize the “capture” of a wife without the girl’s consent. However, after the groom’s family completes the wedding procedures, both the girl and her family usually accept it. This custom is widely recognized in the community.

In the past, Thai people were free to date and eloping only happened when the couple was forbidden, or when the groom’s family was too poor to afford the wedding and the girl agreed to follow her husband. Some cases of “capturing” a wife without the girl’s consent were just a phenomenon and could not be called a custom. This phenomenon was not common and was not widely recognized by the community, so it could not be called a custom.

Thai people's night wedding custom. Photo: Ha Lanh

Regarding the “wife-catching” clip that recently went viral on social media in Nghe An, Mr. An said: “It is an unusual social phenomenon. Those who perform the act and think it is a Thai custom are wrong.”

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