Chut People

The Chut (Vietnamese: Người Chứt, Rục language: Cheut /rocky mountain) are a small ethnic group located in the Minh Hóa and Tuyên Hóa districts of Quảng Bình Province, in Vietnam’s North Central Coast.

Chut is not a distinct group but a collective name for five different Vietic-speaking groups in Quảng Bình, namely the Arem, the Rục, the Maliêng/Mã Liêng, the Mày, and the Sách. In 1973, Vietnamese researchers decided to group these peoples into a new crafted ethnic group called Chứt. In accordance with the Resolution of the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, #121/TCTK/PPCD of March 2, 1979 List of ethnic groups in Vietnam, the Chut ethnonym was recognized at the state level as the common name for five groups (Arem, Mã Liêng, Mày, Rục, and Sách).

The Chut are one of the 4 main groups of Vietic speakers in Vietnam, the others being the Kinh, Muong, and Thổ. The nearby speakers of the Nguồn language are related to the Chut, but are classified by the Vietnamese government as Kinh.