The area known as the Golden Triangle, where the Mekong River flows south from Southern China through Myanmar, Northern Thailand and Laos, is home to many ethnic groups, each with its own distinct culture and traditions. The groups in this region include the Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lahu, Lisu, Mien, and Tai Yai.

This site contains information about each tribe's history, culture, traditional dress and much more. You can even learn how to cook tribal food, and speak some simple, but very important phrases in each of the tribal languages.

Although each of these minority groups is unique, they currently face many of the same problems and challenges. People who until recently have lived in very traditional, isolated communities are now undergoing a period of rapid change. The advent of mass communication, the availability of increasingly sophisticated technology and the transition to a cash economy is having an enormous impact on their lives.

Poverty and debt, drugs and HIV/AIDs, discrimination and conflict are all contributing to the breakdown of these communities, and a devastating loss of culture and tradition.

The Mekong Minority Foundation wants to ensure that these cultures are not lost completely. While change in these tribe's traditional lifestyles is inevitable, our projects work towards giving these communities the skills, knowledge and resources that will enable them to cope with the many issues affecting their lives.