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People group profile · PG011200

The Phu Thai of Vietnam

The Phu Thai of Vietnam, numbering about 144,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Tai people whose ancestors migrated south from Yunnan between the 7th and 13th centuries, tracing their original homeland to the Dien Bien Phu area, retaining animist beliefs more strongly than related Tai groups in Thailand.

They are an indigenous people in the Tai people cluster of the Southeast Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Animism, and they primarily speak Phu Thai.

Pray for the Phu ThaiPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Phu Thai people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Phu Thai

Fast facts

Country
Vietnam
Population
144,000
Affinity group
Asian Pacific Rim Peoples
People cluster
Tai
Primary language
Phu Thai (pht)
Primary religion
Animism
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
No Known Evangelicals
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
South-Eastern Asia, Asia

Where they live

Gospel status

The Phu Thai are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist No
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Phu Thai

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Animism · Ethnoreligion

96% adherents

Primary language

Phu Thai · Tai-Kadai family

100% speak Phu Thai

Gospel resources in Phu Thai

  • Bible not available
  • JESUS Film not available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources not available
  • Bible stories not available

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Phu Thai

  1. Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
  2. Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
  3. Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
  4. 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.

Download a prayer guide

Phu Tai in other countries

The same people (ROP3 108016) is reported in 2 other countries.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
Phu ThaiThailand459,000Engaged yet Unreached
Phu ThaiLaos264,000Engaged yet Unreached

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