| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 52,300 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Thailand | |
| Languages | |
| Lao,Thai | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism |
TheLao Wiang[1] (Thai:ลาวเวียง,pronounced[lāːwwīaŋ]), sometimes also referred to asLao Wieng, are aTai sub-ethnic group of theIsan region. Approximately 50,000[citation needed] self-proclaimed Lao Wiang live invillages throughout Thailand, especially the provinces ofPrachinburi,Udon Thani,Nakhon Pathom,Chai Nat,Lopburi,Saraburi,Nakhon Nayok,Suphan Buri,Ratchaburi,Phetchaburi, andRoi Et with a significant number in Bangkok.[citation needed]
TheLao Wiang are also referred to asTai Wiang (ไทเวียง),Lao Vientiane (ลาวเวียงจันทน์),Tai Vientiane (ไทเวียงจันทน์) or simply asWiang (เวียง). These names are also used in Laos to refer to the inhabitants of Vientiane or its descendants inThailand. Many who are in fact Lao Wiang may only consider themselvesIsan orLao.
The Lao Wiang, as their name suggests, are descendants ofLao people from theVientiane(Wiang Chan) region (Thai: เวียงจันทน์) in modern-dayLaos. After the fall ofLanxang, the three successor kingdoms were overrun bySiam and forced population transfers by the Siamese into Isan were undertaken. Much of Isan was settled this way, and is one of the main reasons for the shared Lao culture of Laos and Isan.[2] Originally slaves and forced into providingcorvée labour, the Lao Wiang were freed and integrated into the general Isan population.
The Lao Wiang are a sub-group of the general Isan (ethnic Lao of northeastern Thailand) distinguished from other Isan people by the location of their ancestors. Most have assumed eitherThai or Isan identity, but some maintain their distinctiveness. Like their neighbours, they share Theravada Buddhism,Isan language, and rice farming, with only slight differences in traditional clothing and dialect.[3]