HA NOI (VNS)— A documentary series depicting the lives of the 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups started airing on HTV7 last night.

The first episode covers the Hoa Binh region in the North, a centre for the Muong people and one of the first places inhabited by ancient societies.

The following 150 episodes will cover the 28 ethnic groups living in the northwest and northeast, the 22 groups in the Hong (Red) River Delta, Central and Central Highlands regions and the three groups in the southeast and southwest.

The documentary depicts the traditional customs and culture of each group, from the ritual dance of the Lo Lo group to the funerals of the Mong and weddings of the Thai and Dao.

It also explores the traditions of the Kinh, Viet Nam's majority group, members of which live across the country.

Produced last year by the HCM City Television Film Studio (TFS), the documentary will be broadcast from Monday through Thursday, starting at 10.40pm.-VNS