Vietnamese (Kinh) DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Vietnam · Southeast Asia
The Kinh make up about 85% of Vietnam's population. Their language, Vietnamese, belongs to the Austroasiatic family, like Khmer, but it was deeply shaped by about a thousand years of Chinese rule, which ended in 938 AD, before the Vietnamese state expanded south from the Red River delta to the Mekong. The genetic profile mirrors that history. The Southeast Asian Neolithic reference in our model comes from Man Bac, a site in northern Vietnam itself, yet the Kinh average is only 25.9% of that component, with 40.4% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmer and 33.7% East Asian. The Khmer, whose language is related, are 91.5% Southeast Asian Neolithic in the same model. Accordingly, after another Kinh sample (0.0074), the closest modern averages are Tai-speaking groups, Tai Lue and Dai (0.0152), and the Zhuang of southern China. Two Yuan to Ming-era populations come nearest, from Pingtang Cave in Guizhou (0.022) and Dou-Sha-Guan in Yunnan (0.0221).
- Ancient components in our model: Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers 40.4%, East Asian 33.7%, Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers 25.9%
- Closest modern population in our data: Vietnamese (Kinh Profile), distance 0.0074
- Closest ancient group in our data: China Guizhou HP Yuan-Ming Dynasty Pingtang Cave, distance 0.0220
Where does Vietnamese (Kinh) DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Vietnamese (Kinh) individuals sampled in Vietnam, listed in the G25 sheet as "Kinh_Vietnam" and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Vietnamese (Kinh) average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Vietnamese (Kinh) average comes out as 40.4% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers, 33.7% East Asian and 25.9% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers. The Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic rice and millet farmers of southern China, whose descendants spread into Southeast Asia. The East Asian share (33.7%) reflects ancestry most common today in East Asia.
The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.030): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Fenghuang – Sinosphere Report
Closest modern populations to Vietnamese (Kinh)
Genetically, the Vietnamese (Kinh) average sits nearest to Vietnamese (Kinh Profile) at 0.007, Tai (Lue) at 0.015 and Dai (Yunnan Xishuangbanna) at 0.015. On our scale, a distance of 0.007 counts as very close. Even the tenth closest, Zhuang (Guangxi Tianyang), is only 0.019 away: Vietnamese (Kinh) belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese (Kinh Profile) | 0.0074 | Very close |
| 2 | Tai (Lue) | 0.0152 | Very close |
| 3 | Dai (Yunnan Xishuangbanna) | 0.0152 | Very close |
| 4 | Gelao (Guangxi Longlin) | 0.0169 | Very close |
| 5 | Zhuang (Yunnan Qiubei) | 0.0183 | Very close |
| 6 | Dai | 0.0184 | Very close |
| 7 | Sui (Guizhou Duyun) | 0.0189 | Very close |
| 8 | Zhuang (Guangxi Fusui) | 0.0190 | Very close |
| 9 | Tai (Lue Thailand) | 0.0192 | Very close |
| 10 | Zhuang (Guangxi Tianyang) | 0.0192 | Very close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Vietnamese (Kinh)
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Vietnamese (Kinh) average is China Guizhou HP Yuan-Ming Dynasty Pingtang Cave (Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD), at 0.022, followed by China Yunnan HP Yuan Dynasty Dou-Sha-Guan and China Guangxi HP Southern Tang Dynasty Lada. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China Guizhou HP Yuan-Ming Dynasty Pingtang Cave | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0220 |
| 2 | China Yunnan HP Yuan Dynasty Dou-Sha-Guan | Historical period | 0.0221 |
| 3 | China Guangxi HP Southern Tang Dynasty Lada | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0251 |
| 4 | China Yunnan HP Nanzhao-Dali Long Ma | Historical period | 0.0256 |
| 5 | China Yunnan HP Hanging Coffin-Nanzhao Wa Shi | Historical period | 0.0273 |
| 6 | China Guangxi HP Ming Dynasty Huatuyan | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0309 |
| 7 | China Guangxi HP Sui-Tang Dynasty Shenxian | Tang dynasty, 618-907 AD | 0.0323 |
| 8 | China Shenxian 1300BP | c. 650 AD | 0.0332 |
| 9 | Vietnam Early-Late Modern Quang Ninh | Modern era, c. 1500-1950 AD | 0.0341 |
| 10 | China Guangxi HP Late Yuan-Ming Dynasty Huatudong | Ming dynasty, 1368-1644 AD | 0.0346 |
Ancient DNA from Vietnam
Our ancient DNA database holds 24 individuals excavated in present-day Vietnam, dated from about 2,218 BC to 1731 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are O2a (4), C (1) and K (1), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are F1 (8), M7 (7) and B5 (1). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Vietnamese (Kinh) population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Vietnam
- VN1K is a pangenome-informed multi-omics and phenomics resource for the Vietnamese population (2026)
- TBH1: 12 000-year-old human skeleton and projectile point shed light on demographics and mortality in Terminal Pleistocene Southeast Asia (2025)
- A study of genetic variants associated with skin traits in the Vietnamese population (2024)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 24 from Vietnam.
Compare yourself with Vietnamese (Kinh)
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Vietnamese (Kinh) average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Vietnamese (Kinh) and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Vietnamese (Kinh). Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Vietnamese (Kinh) average. Your own DNA has its own story: Fenghuang – Sinosphere Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of Sinosphere / East Asian ancestry: ancient regional core (Yellow & Yangtze River Neolithic, Erlitou/Shang/Zhou dynasties, Han Dynasty, Yayoi migration, Tang Dynasty, Manchu/Qing era) versus non-regional outside...
More populations from Southeast Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Vietnamese (Kinh)?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Vietnamese (Kinh) average is about 40.4% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers, 33.7% East Asian and 25.9% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Vietnamese (Kinh)?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Vietnamese (Kinh) average are Vietnamese (Kinh Profile), Tai (Lue) and Dai (Yunnan Xishuangbanna). The closest ancient matches are China Guizhou HP Yuan-Ming Dynasty Pingtang Cave, China Yunnan HP Yuan Dynasty Dou-Sha-Guan and China Guangxi HP Southern Tang Dynasty Lada.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Vietnamese (Kinh)?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Vietnamese (Kinh) average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Vietnamese (Kinh) ancestry?
For the Vietnamese (Kinh) average, the regional report to choose is Fenghuang – Sinosphere Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent match. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.