Introduction / History

When Vietnam was in chaos at the end of the 1700s, several ethnic groups united with groups of Thai speaking peoples. These people became known as the Tho. Today, they are regarded as an official minority in Vietnam. They prefer to be known as "Tay," since the term "Tho" is now considered derogatory.

Through the decades, a small number of the Tay people have moved to France and the United States. The largest number emigrated when Vietnam became fully communist in 1975. That leaves them plenty of time to become somewhat assimilated.

The vast majority of them still live in Vietnam where they are a prominent minority group in the northern regions. The Tay people in France are most likely to be found in Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, or Toulouse. There is a small number of them in the United States where they blend in with the larger Vietnamese population.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Unlike many other immigrant groups, the Tay people and their cousins, the Vietnamese, have been in the United States so long that they are largely assimilated. The younger generations are far more American than they are Tay or Vietnamese.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Traditionally, most Tay villages had temples where they worshipped a multitude of gods associated with earth, water, fire, and important ancestors. Many of them adopted Buddhism because of the influence of the people around them in Vietnam. It has been decades since the Tay people migrated to the United States, so the window of opportunity to reach them when they are spiritually open is closed. In the United States, however, they are far more reached with the gospel than they are in either Vietnam or France.

What Are Their Needs?

The Tay people need to put their identity and their hope in the person of Jesus Christ.

Prayer Points

Pray for the few Tay Christian believers in the US to take Christ to those who remain without a gospel witness.

Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Tay towards Jesus Christ so they will want him no matter what it costs.

Ask the Lord to raise up strong Bible believing churches among the Tay in the United States.

Pray for a disciple making movement to emerge among the Tay people, both in Vietnam and in the United States.

Scripture Prayers for the Tay in United States.