The Giay live mainly on wet rice cultivation and sideline on terraced fields. They raise cattle and poultry and maintain the habit of riding horses and using buffaloes and oxen for farm work and log pulling.

Giay people live in villages, each comprising hundreds of houses. Giay locals of Ha Giang and Cao Bang provinces live in stilt houses while those in Lao Cai and Lai Chau stay in conventional houses. The section in the middle of the house is reserved for receiving guests and worshipping ancestors. Couples live in separate corner rooms and the kitchen is located separately.

Both men and women of the Giay ethnic group wear a long dress. The men’s dress stretches down to their knees. They also wear turbans. Old men coil up their hair behind their neck. Meanwhile, women wear shorter dresses with baggy sleeves and bulging blue, black or indigo skirts.

According to the tradition, the father or husband plays a central role in the Giay family. The groom’s family often takes the initiative in wedding rituals and the bride stays with her husband’s family. Wedding ceremonies are simple and comprise two stages: the engagement and the wedding. The groom’s offerings to the bride comprise a hen, a duck, a silver necklace and a bracelet.

Giay women follow certain taboos and abstentions during pregnancy to ensure a smooth delivery. When the baby is one month old, a ritual is held where the family prays for ancestors’ blessing for the child’s growth. The sorcerer will note down the child’s name and date of birth on a red cloth, which will be consulted in future for his or her marriage and even death.

Giay people believe in life after death. Their altar is dedicated to not only their ancestors but also to the Kitchen God, Heaven and Earth genies and local spirits.

The Giay treasure a wealth of folk literature and songs. They have diverse folk tunes and songs with the most salient being alternate singing between young men and women.