Proper name: The Hre got their names from local river. For example, “the Kre” came from the Kre river in Son Ha district; the Hre from Hre river in Ba To district; the Dinh from Dinh river in An Lao district, etc.

Other names: Cham Re, Chom, Thuong Ba To, Moi Luy, Moi Son Phong, Moi Da V.ach, Cham Quang Ngai, Moi Chom, Re, Man Thach Bich.

Population:94,259 people.(1999 census).

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Language: The Hre language belongs to the Mon-khmer language group (Austroasiatic language family). Before 1975, there was a writing system, modified from the Latin alpha¬bet. It was used widely, but now has diminished in popularity.

History: The Hre are among the oldest inhabitants of the Truong Son-Tay Nguyen area.

Production activities: A majority of the Hre grow rice in wet fields, while only a small minority work on dry terraced fields. They practice swidden agriculture, using simple tools like the digging stick (to make holes in the ground for planting seeds), axe, machete, and rake. They harvest their rice by hand. Their cultivation style is like that of Central Vietnamese farmers, using water buffalo to pull a plough or harrow, sowing rice sprouts and then transplanting them, and using a sickle to harvest rice plants, etc. Nevertheless, the traditional slash and burn, or swidden, practice can still be seen. Each family raises water buffaloes, dogs, and chickens. Plaiting and weaving are the only handicraft works, and are not so popular nowadays. In particular, there is very little weaving done today. Goods are traded directly for each other’ s products. Hunting, gathering fruit, and fishing are important sources of foodstuffs for every family.

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