 Mnong people during an elephant blessing ceremony in Buôn Đôn, Vietnam | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
 Vietnam 127,334 (2019)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Đắk Lắk, Đắk Nông, Lâm Đồng, Bình Phước - Vietnam Mondulkiri -  Cambodia | |
| Languages | |
| Mnong, others | |
| Religion | |
| Christian, Theravada Buddhism, Animist |
The Mnong or Munong people (Vietnamese: người Mơ-nông) are an ethnic group mainly living in Central Highlands and Southeast regions of Vietnam, and Eastern region of Cambodia. They are made up of many smaller groups: Mnong Gar, Mnong Nông, Mnong Chil, Mnong Kuênh, Mnong Rlâm, Mnong Preh, Mnong Prâng, Mnong Ðíp, Mnong Bhiêt, Mnong Sitô, Mnong Bu Ðâng, Mnong Bu Nor, Mnong Bu Ðêh.
Every group speaks a variant of the Mnong language, which along with Koho language, is in the South Bhanaric group of the Mon–Khmer family.[2]
The Mnong in Vietnam can be subdivided into three main groups:
A big community with around 47,000 people of Mnong live in the Cambodia's northeastern boundary province of Mondulkiri where they are known as Bunong (alternatively spelled Phnong, Punong, or Pnong).[6]
The M’Nong have a rich cultural heritage that includes many epics, legends, proverbs, and songs. Gongs, buffalo horn flutes, jew’s harp, the monochord, and lithophone are their popular traditional musical instruments.[7]
Epics (Mnong language: Ot N'rong - Ot: telling by singing, N'rong: old story) take an important part in Mnong people's life. Many of these epics, such as Con đỉa nuốt bon Tiăng (Mnong language: Ghu sok bon Tiăng, English: The leech swallows Tiăng village),[8] or Mùa rẫy bon Tiăng (English: The farming season of Tiăng village) are quite long.[9]
