Khmer people

are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Cambodia, accounting for 97.6% of the country's 15.9 million people.They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Austroasiatic language family found throughout eastern and central India and Bangladesh, in other parts of Southeast Asia (including Vietnam), South China and numerous islands in the Indian Ocean.The majority of the Khmer are followers of the Khmer style of Buddhism, a highly syncretic version that blends elements of Theravada Buddhism, Hinduism, animism and veneration of the dead.Significant populations of Khmers reside in adjacent areas of Thailand (Northern Khmer) and the Mekong Delta region of neighboring Vietnam (Khmer Krom), while there are over one million Khmers in the Cambodian diaspora living mainly in France, the United States and Australia.

Vietnam has 1.3 million Khmer people living in the southern provinces of Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Kien Giang, An Giang, Bac Lieu, Can Tho, and Vinh Long. The Khmer do farm work, fish, and produce handicraft products. They have a rich culture of folk songs, folk tales, festivals, temples, and pagodas. The Khmer earn a living from fishing, weaving cloth and mats, producing palm sugar, or making pottery. They produce various kinds of fermented fish, shrimp sauces, and pastes, selling whatever they don’t use themselves. The Khmer celebrate many festivals during the year. The biggest ones are the Chol Chnam Thmay or New Year festival, and the Ok-ang Bok, or worship of the Moon. The Khmer live harmoniously with other ethnic groups in the Mekong Delta, while maintaining their unique culture and lifestyle.