Lạc Việt

The Lạc Việt or Luoyue (駱越 or 雒越; pinyin: Luòyuè ← Middle Chinese: *lɑk̚-ɦʉɐt̚ ← Old Chinese *râk-wat) were an ancient conglomeration of peoples inhabiting northern Vietnam, particularly the ancient Red River Delta, from approximately 700 BC to 100 AD, during the last stage of the Neolithic and the beginning of the period of classical antiquity. They spoke Kra-Dai and Austroasiatic languages. From archaeological perspectives, they were known as the Dongsonian. The Lạc Việt were known for casting large Heger Type I bronze drums, cultivating paddy rice, and constructing dikes. The Lạc Việt who owned the Bronze Age Đông Sơn culture, which centered at the Red River Delta (in Northern Vietnam), are hypothesized to be the ancestors of the modern Kinh Vietnamese. Another population of Luoyue, who inhabited the Zuo river's valley (now in modern Southern China), are believed to be the ancestors of the modern Zhuang people; additionally, Luoyue in southern China are believed to be ancestors of the Hlai people.